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Saudi Housing Ministry Announces Achieving 2017 Targets

The Saudi Housing Ministry and the Real Estate Development Fund announced that it has achieved its 2017 targets. (SPA)
The Saudi Housing Ministry and the Real Estate Development Fund announced that it has achieved its 2017 targets. (SPA)
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Saudi Housing Ministry Announces Achieving 2017 Targets

The Saudi Housing Ministry and the Real Estate Development Fund announced that it has achieved its 2017 targets. (SPA)
The Saudi Housing Ministry and the Real Estate Development Fund announced that it has achieved its 2017 targets. (SPA)

The Saudi Housing Ministry and the Real Estate Development Fund announced on Saturday achieving 2017 targets on providing over 280,000 housing and financing products to Saudi families across the kingdom.

In a statement, the ministry announced on Saturday 36,798 housing and financing products as part of the 11th and the last batch of “Sakani” (My Housing) program for 2017.

The 36,798 residential and financing products include 24,207 housing units via sale on the map program, 4,591 free land plots and 8,000 backed financing.

The goal was set up by the national residential program launched in mid-January.

Among the 2017 objectives was having 120,000 housing units made ready for residence and the offering of 75,000 free land plots for construction.

More so, 85,000 funds were provided by the national fund for real estate development through banks and financial institutions, while the ministry revealed details of the second phase of the national initiative for 2018.

The program aspires to serve a greater number of citizens.

Mohamed Al-Bati, CEO of the national housing company, pointed out that achieving the 2017 goals drives the Housing Ministry to expand its services to citizens.

He positively recounted the active partnership with the private sector partook in with real-estate developers.

He also pointed out that these partnerships with real estate developers serving the national economy have resulted in realizing several projects, including the construction of thousands of housing units—a progress which empowered Saudi families and raised the percentage of housing ownership.

Bati pointed out that there is a clear plan and details to be announced on all future housing programs.

He pointed out that there were royal directives issued on a package of incentives.

Speaking on involving the private sector with the national housing projects, Bati said it stimulates real estate competition and results in producing many housing units at different rates.

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Indian State Refiners May Buy Mideast Spot Oil to Replace Russian Shortfall

A worker rides a bicycle at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation refinery in Mumbai, April 24, 2008. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe/FILE PHOTO
A worker rides a bicycle at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation refinery in Mumbai, April 24, 2008. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe/FILE PHOTO
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Indian State Refiners May Buy Mideast Spot Oil to Replace Russian Shortfall

A worker rides a bicycle at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation refinery in Mumbai, April 24, 2008. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe/FILE PHOTO
A worker rides a bicycle at the Bharat Petroleum Corporation refinery in Mumbai, April 24, 2008. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe/FILE PHOTO

Indian state refiners are considering tapping the Middle East crude market as spot supply from their top supplier Russia have fallen, three refining sources said, in a move that could support prices for high-sulphur oil.
The three large state refiners- Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum- are short of 8-10 million barrels of Russian oil for January loading, the sources told Reuters.
The refiners fear continued problems in securing Russian oil in the spot market could continue in coming months as Moscow's own demand is rising and it has to meet commitments under the OPEC pact.
However, they added that they can draw from their inventories to meet crude processing needs in March.
Two of the sources said their company may lift more crude from Middle East suppliers under optional volumes in term contracts or to float a spot tender for high-sulphur oil.

IOC, the country's top refiner, previously floated spot tenders to buy sour grades in March 2022.
The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
India became the largest importer of Russian crude after the European Union, previously the top buyer, imposed sanctions on Russian oil imports in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian oil accounts for more than a third of India's energy imports.
Russia's spot crude exports since November as its refineries resumed operations after the maintenance season and poor weather disrupted shipping activities, traders said.
“We have to explore alternative grades as Russia's own demand is rising and it has to meet its commitments under OPEC,” said another of the three sources.
Russia, an ally of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, promised to make extra cuts to its oil output from the end of 2024 to compensate for overproduction earlier.
Also, most supplies from Russia's state oil firm Rosneft are tied up in a deal with Indian private refiner Reliance Industries, Reuters reported earlier this month.
The new deal accounts for roughly half of Rosneft's seaborne oil exports from Russian ports, leaving little supply available for spot sales, sources told Reuters earlier this month.
India has no sanctions on Russian oil, so refiners there have cashed in on supplies made cheaper than rival grades by the penalties by at least $3 to $4 per barrel.
Sources said there are traders in the market that are willing to supply Russian oil for payments in Chinese Yuan but noted that state refiners stopped paying for Russian oil in the Chinese currency after advice from the government last year.
“It is not that alternatives to Russian oil are not available in the market but our economics will suffer,” the first source said.
Oil prices rose on Tuesday, reversing the prior session's losses, buoyed by a slightly positive market outlook for the short term, despite thin trade ahead of the Christmas holiday.
Brent crude futures were up 42 cents, or 0.6%, to $73.05 a barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 38 cents, or 0.6%, to $69.62 a barrel at 0742 GMT, Reuters reported.
FGE analysts said they anticipated the benchmark prices would fluctuate around current levels in the short term “as activity in the paper markets decreases during the holiday season and market participants stay on the sidelines until they get a clearer view of 2024 and 2025 global oil balances.”
Supply and demand changes in December have been supportive of their current less-bearish view so far, the analysts said in a note.
“Given how short the paper market is on positioning, any supply disruption could lead to upward spikes in structure,” they added.
Some analysts also pointed to signs of greater oil demand over the next few months.
“The year is ending with the consensus from major agencies over long 2025 liquids balances starting to break down,” Neil Crosby, Sparta Commodities' assistant vice president of oil analytics, said in a note.
Also supporting prices was a plan by China, the world's biggest oil importer, to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy.
China's stimulus is likely to provide near-term support for WTI crude at $67 a barrel, said OANDA senior market analyst Kelvin Wong.