Gold Prices Ease from Two-week High as Dollar Edges Higher

A woman picks a gold earring at a jewellery shop in the old quarters of Delhi, India, May 24, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/ File Photo
A woman picks a gold earring at a jewellery shop in the old quarters of Delhi, India, May 24, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/ File Photo
TT

Gold Prices Ease from Two-week High as Dollar Edges Higher

A woman picks a gold earring at a jewellery shop in the old quarters of Delhi, India, May 24, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/ File Photo
A woman picks a gold earring at a jewellery shop in the old quarters of Delhi, India, May 24, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/ File Photo

Gold slipped on Thursday after hitting a nearly two-week high earlier in the session, hurt by an uptick in the dollar, although worries over the US government's increasing debt burden and fiscal outlook kept prices above $3,300 level.

Spot gold was down 0.3% at $3,303.82 an ounce, as of 1020 GMT, after hitting its highest level since May 9 earlier in the session.

US gold futures fell 0.3% to $3,304.10.

"Selling coming in especially from those looking to book profits and a degree of recovery in the dollar seems to have taken some of the shine off gold," Ross Norman, an independent analyst said, according to Reuters.

The dollar index edged up 0.2% against its rivals, making greenback-priced bullion more expensive for other currency holders.

"There are concerns about the way the US is managing its debt issue and one would expect gold to remain relatively firm if the markets take these tax cuts in a negative way," Norman said.

Moody's cut the United States' top sovereign credit rating by one notch last week, citing concerns about its growing $36 trillion debt pile.

US Treasury Department's $16 billion sale of 20-year bonds met soft demand from investors on Wednesday, weighing on risk sentiment among investors in the Wall Street.

Market participants also worried that the US government debt would swell by trillions of dollars if Congress passes President Donald Trump's proposed tax-cut bill.

Gold is often used as a safe store of value during times of political and financial uncertainty.

The dollar index hovered near two-week low, making the bullion more attractive for other currency holders.

Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill cleared a crucial hurdle on Thursday, as the House of Representatives voted roughly along party lines to begin a debate that should lead to a vote on passage later in the morning.

Elsewhere, spot silver fell 0.7% to $33.14 an ounce, platinum dropped 0.7% to $1,068.97 and palladium lost 2% to $1,015.97.



Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
TT

Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)

E-commerce sales in Saudi Arabia via "mada" cards soared to an all-time monthly high in October 2025, surpassing SAR30.7 billion.

The surge in sales represents a 68% year-on-year increase, totaling about SAR12.4 billion more than the SAR18.3 billion recorded in October 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) statistical bulletin on Wednesday.

E-commerce sales for the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 hit SAR88.3 billion, up 15.2% from the previous quarter, representing an increase of about SAR11.6 billion over the SAR76.6 billion recorded in Q2.

On a monthly basis, e-commerce sales in October rose 6%, gaining approximately SAR1.6 billion over September’s total of SAR29.1 billion.

From January to October, "mada" data showed e-commerce sales grew 47.3%, rising by around SAR9.9 billion over the SAR20.9 billion recorded in January.

These figures cover transactions made via "mada" cards on e-commerce websites, apps, and digital wallets, and do not include credit-card payments.


Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
TT

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) celebrated the launch of its first direct flynas flight to Moscow, operating three weekly flights between Jeddah and Vnukovo International Airport.

This initiative, in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Air Connectivity Program, boosts air links between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

It marks KAIA's third direct Russian destination, following Makhachkala and Mineralnye Vody, which were inaugurated earlier this month by Azimuth Airlines.

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location.


China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
TT

China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

China on Wednesday listed more sectors eligible for foreign investment incentives, from tax breaks to preferential ​land use, in its latest effort to stem a prolonged decline in overseas capital inflows.

Under the 2025 edition of the catalogue of industries for encouraging foreign investment, China added more than 200 and revised about 300, with a ‌focus on ‌advanced manufacturing, modern services and ‌green ⁠and ​high-tech ‌sectors, the list jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the commerce ministry showed.

The new catalogue, which takes effect on February 1, 2026, replaces the 2022 version and continues a policy framework ⁠that offers foreign-invested enterprises tariff exemptions on imported equipment, preferential ‌land pricing, reduced corporate income ‍tax rates in ‍designated regions and tax credits for reinvestment ‍of profits.

The catalogue also extends incentives to central and western regions, as well as the northeast and Hainan, as Beijing seeks to attract ​more foreign investment into less developed areas.

China has in recent months ⁠taken a raft of measures to boost foreign investment, including pilot programs in Beijing, Shanghai and other regions to expand market access in services such as telecoms, healthcare and education, amid trade tensions with the United States.

Foreign direct investment in China totaled 693.2 billion yuan ($98.84 billion) from January to November this year, down 7.5% from the ‌same period last year, data from the commerce ministry showed.