Saudi Arabia Plans to Privatize Grain Silos

Saudi Grain Silos (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Grain Silos (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Plans to Privatize Grain Silos

Saudi Grain Silos (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Grain Silos (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia is planning to sell its grain silos as part of the kingdom's privatization drive after the sales of the flour mills last month were completed with great success.

Bloomberg reported that the state-owned Saudi Grains Organization (SGO) aims to start selling silo sites as soon as this year.

SAGO will seek bids from foreign and local firms; however, no decisions have been made and SAGO may retain the assets, according to people familiar with the matter.

In April, the National Center for Privatization (NCP) and SAGO announced that the third milling company was sold to investors, bringing the total sale of the four companies to $2 billion.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources launched a digital platform Monday, which it said facilitates access to all services through several channels and electronic services in the easiest way and the latest technology.

The Ministry pointed out the digital platform comes as the ministry seeks to facilitate the work of industry and mining partners.

The platform has several advantages: the speedy completion of services, saving time and effort, making the latest information and statistics available to researchers and investors, and facilitating access to the ministry’s services, according to the Ministry.

In other news, Almarai company announced new investments worth $1.7 billion aiming to double the production operations in poultry in the Kingdom through three phases until 2026.

These investments will increase the company’s share of chilled chicken, along with increasing its production and share of frozen poultry.

The company’s market share currently stands at about 34 percent in chilled poultry, and 12 percent of the total sector.

The production after investment will increase to 450 million birds per year, while the Kingdom's imports of the poultry sector are nearly 45 percent.



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
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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.