Deal to Reschedule Jordanian Debts to KFAED

Ghanim and Obeidat during the signing ceremony. Asharq Al-Awsat
Ghanim and Obeidat during the signing ceremony. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Deal to Reschedule Jordanian Debts to KFAED

Ghanim and Obeidat during the signing ceremony. Asharq Al-Awsat
Ghanim and Obeidat during the signing ceremony. Asharq Al-Awsat

Jordan’s Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) have signed an agreement to reschedule Jordanian debts.

The deal comes as part of Kuwait’s continued support to Jordan through KFAED to help it confront the economic challenges that the country faces due to instability in the region.

The rescheduled debts are worth 300.7 million dollars.

The acting secretary-general of the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ziad Obeidat, and KFAED’s operations department director Marwan al-Ghanim signed the deal in Amman on Thursday.

In a statement, Obeidat said the agreement aims to schedule Jordanian debts accumulated as a result of 17 loans.

It would be paid off during a period of 40 years with a 15-year grace period and a one-percent interest. 

Obeidat thanked the KFAED, the Kuwaiti government, and people for their generosity, affirming that Jordan welcomed all gestures of solidarity during periods of economic strife.

On his part, Ghanim lauded relations with Jordan, stressing that Kuwait would help Amman achieve economic stability.

Kuwait had deposited 500 million dollars at Jordan’s Central Bank to meet pledges it made at the Makkah summit in June.



Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
TT

Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.