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Riyadh’s FII Day One: 23 Agreements Worth $15 Billion

A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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Riyadh’s FII Day One: 23 Agreements Worth $15 Billion

A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

The first day of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), currently held in Riyadh, witnessed the signing of 23 agreements worth a total of $15 billion by foreign and Saudi companies.

The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) said in a statement on Wednesday that one of the aims of the FII was to attract foreign investment to the Kingdom, adding that companies from all continents have signed agreements to invest in an array of fields.

Saudi Aramco announced its intention to establish the Jazan Power Joint Venture. The JV will be 46 percent owned by Air Products, 25 percent by ACWA Power, 20 percent by Saudi Aramco and 9 percent by Air Products Qudra.

In addition, the Company signed seven MoUs at the FII in Riyadh on Tuesday, including a collaboration MoU worth $1 billion with Tubacex Group, to invest in pipe weld overlay and cladding services manufacturing facilities in the Kingdom.

Another MoU was signed between Saudi Aramco and Baker Hughes to collaborate on artificial intelligence and digital transformation, worth $230 million.

Aramco Senior Vice President of Technical Services, Ahmad A. Al Saadi, reaffirmed the Company’s position, saying: “Saudi Aramco aims to promote business investment opportunities through technology across the Kingdom’s energy services sector ecosystem. The agreements signed today support the Kingdom’s plans to develop industrial zones, create jobs and attract foreign direct investment, as well as drive economic diversification.”

The statement by Aramco noted that the MoUs “represent new collaborations with companies from six countries. These include France, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain and the United States.”

“The MoUs are intended to support Saudi Aramco’s operations and Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification strategy by increasing the efficiency of technology used in upstream, downstream and engineering services. In the long term, these agreements aim to help improve sustainability and technological efficiency throughout the value chain,” the statement added.

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Oil Slumps More than 4% after Iran Downplays Israeli Strikes

Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo
Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo
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Oil Slumps More than 4% after Iran Downplays Israeli Strikes

Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo
Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo

Oil prices tumbled more than $3 a barrel on Monday after Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran over the weekend bypassed Tehran's oil and nuclear facilities and did not disrupt energy supplies, easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Both Brent and US West Texas Intermediate crude futures hit their lowest levels since Oct. 1 at the open. By 0750 GMT, Brent was at $72.92 a barrel, down $3.13, or 4.1%, while WTI slipped $3.15, or 4.4%, to $68.63 a barrel, Reuters said.
The benchmarks gained 4% last week in volatile trade as markets priced in uncertainty around the extent of Israel's response to the Iranian missile attack on Oct. 1 and the US election next month.
Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn on Saturday against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, in the latest exchange in the escalating conflict between the Middle Eastern rivals.
The geopolitical risk premium that had built in oil prices in anticipation of Israel's retaliatory attack came off, analysts said.
"The more limited nature of the strikes, including avoiding oil infrastructure, have raised hopes for a de-escalatory pathway, which has seen the risk premium come off a few dollars a barrel," Saul Kavonic, a Sydney-based energy analyst at MST Marquee, said.
"The market will be watching closely for confirmation Iran won't counter attack in the coming weeks, which could see the risk premium rise again."
Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Vivek Dhar expects market attention to turn to ceasefire talks between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hamas that resumed over the weekend.
"Despite Israel’s choice of a low aggression response to Iran, we have doubts that Israel and Iran’s proxies (i.e. Hamas and Hezbollah) are on track for an enduring ceasefire," he said in a note.
Citi lowered its Brent price target in the next three months to $70 a barrel from $74, factoring in a lower risk premium in the near term, its analysts led by Max Layton said in a note.
Analyst Tim Evans at US-based Evans Energy said in a note: "We think this leaves the market at least somewhat undervalued, with some risk OPEC+ producers may push back the planned increase in output targets beyond December."
In October, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, a group known as OPEC+, kept their oil output policy unchanged including a plan to start raising output from December. The group will meet on Dec. 1 ahead of a full meeting of OPEC+.