Profits of Industrial Investment Companies Jump 57% in Saudi Arabia

Profits of Industrial Investment Companies Jump 57% in Saudi Arabia
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Profits of Industrial Investment Companies Jump 57% in Saudi Arabia

Profits of Industrial Investment Companies Jump 57% in Saudi Arabia

Industrial investment companies, whose shares are listed in the Saudi exchange market, achieved a remarkable leap on the level of profits during the first half of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017.

According to results, profits of industrial investment companies grew 57 percent while the accumulated profits of 16 listed companies reached around SAR1.46 billion (USD390 million).

Maaden achieved during the first half of the year profits of SAR1.15 billion (USD306.6 million); an 83 percent of growth compared to the same period in 2017.

A total number of 10 listed companies in the industrial investment sector reached a remarkable progress in the outcome of the first half of 2018, while profits of six other companies dropped.

A report by Qawaem in 2017 revealed that the growth included the revenues of refined oil products industry, chemical products industry, industry sector, education sector, fishing sector, medicines and pharmacies, health sector, food products sector, and the sector of media and publishing.

It is obligatory that all institutions of the private sector provide Qawaem with financial lists of 2017, within a determined period after the end of the fiscal year.

The Saudi economy has achieved a positive growth in the first quarter of the current year, which is a direct impact of the economic reforms' efficiency.

According to General Authority for Statistics, the domestic product of non-oil sector in Saudi Arabia achieved more positive growth averages during the first quarter of the current year, a growth of 1.6 percent, while the public non-oil sector growth reached around 2.7 percent during the same period.



IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
TT

IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout on Saturday but warned that the economy remains vulnerable.
In a statement, the global lender said it would release about $333 million, bringing total funding to around $1.3 billion, to the crisis-hit South Asian nation. It said signs of an economic recovery were emerging, Reuters reported.
In a note of caution, it said "the critical next steps are to complete the commercial debt restructuring, finalize bilateral agreements with official creditors along the lines of the accord with the Official Creditor Committee and implement the terms of the other agreements. This will help restore Sri Lanka's debt sustainability."
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022 with a severe dollar shortage sending inflation soaring to 70%, its currency to record lows and its economy contracting by 7.3% during the worst of the fallout and by 2.3% last year.
"Maintaining macroeconomic stability and restoring debt sustainability are key to securing Sri Lanka's prosperity and require persevering with responsible fiscal policy," the IMF said.
The IMF bailout secured in March last year helped stabilize economic conditions. The rupee has risen 11.3% in recent months and inflation disappeared, with prices falling 0.8% last month.
The island nation's economy is expected to grow 4.4% this year, the first increase in three years, according to the World Bank.
However, Sri Lanka still needs to complete a $12.5 billion debt restructuring with bondholders, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake aims to finalize in December.
Sri Lanka will enter into individual agreements with bilateral creditors including Japan, China and India needed to complete a $10 billion debt restructuring, Dissanayake said.
He won the presidency in September, and his leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week.