Saudi Arabia to Host Future Minerals Summit on Mining Investment in Middle East, N.Africa

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia to Host Future Minerals Summit on Mining Investment in Middle East, N.Africa

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced on Tuesday details of the inaugural Future Minerals Summit, the first-ever event to offer a “one-stop-shop” for investors, miners and other industry stakeholders interested in learning more about the mining potential of the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa.

The Future Minerals Summit will be held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

“We are putting mining and investment at the heart of the new Saudi economy,” said Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Alkhorayef. “With an estimated $1.3 trillion mineral endowment, we are looking for investors and partners to work with us to continue to transform the Saudi mining industry in the years ahead.”

Scheduled to take place from January 11 to 13, 2022, in Riyadh, invitations have been extended to the world’s key mining industry leaders, investors and influencers, and engaging speakers.

“What sets the Future Minerals Summit apart and makes it compelling is the three dynamic regions that co-own the event and are open for business,” said Alkhorayef. “The summit will provide a platform for governments from across the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa to come together to discuss investment opportunities and strategic partnerships with global investors with an interest in mining.

“Our ambition is to shape the future of mining by bringing together governments, the private sector, multilateral organizations and NGOs to find solutions and sustainable investment streams to support a dynamic, integrated mining sector in this part of the world and beyond,” he added.

The conference program is being built around four pillars: Defining a New Mining Hub – showcasing opportunities across the Middle East, Central Asia, and North and East Africa; Lands of Opportunity – outlining partnership opportunities across integrated value chains; Reimagining Mining – shining a spotlight on innovations that will support mining in the future; and Mining’s Contribution to Society – highlighting the industry’s vital role in producing the inputs needed to create a circular carbon future, as well as attracting the workforce of the future.

In addition to the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Future Minerals Summit has been endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Investment and the Public Investment Fund.



Japan's Nikkei Falls, Australia and New Zealand Dollars Tumble amid Israel's Strike on Iran

Arrangement of various world currencies including Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen, US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc and Russian Rouble pictured in Warsaw, January 26, 2011. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Arrangement of various world currencies including Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen, US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc and Russian Rouble pictured in Warsaw, January 26, 2011. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
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Japan's Nikkei Falls, Australia and New Zealand Dollars Tumble amid Israel's Strike on Iran

Arrangement of various world currencies including Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen, US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc and Russian Rouble pictured in Warsaw, January 26, 2011. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Arrangement of various world currencies including Chinese Yuan, Japanese Yen, US Dollar, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc and Russian Rouble pictured in Warsaw, January 26, 2011. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

The Australian and New Zealand dollars tumbled on Friday as Israel's strike on Iran hammered global stocks and drove investors into safe-haven assets, with domestic bond yields diving to over a month lows.

The commodity-sensitive currencies often track global risk sentiment and tend to take a hit when equity markets slide.

The Aussie plunged 0.9% to $0.6474, having risen 0.5% overnight to as high as $0.6534. It was already showing signs of fatigue as the currency has been unable to break a key resistance level of $0.6550 overnight even as the greenback slid due to another round of soft data.

For the week, it is down 0.3%.

The kiwi dollar dropped 1% to $0.6011. It gained gaining 0.7% overnight, hitting a high of $0.6071. Support comes in around $0.5990, while resistance is at the multi-month top of $0.6080. For the week, it is down 0.1%.

Israel said early on Friday that it struck Iran. Oil prices jumped over 6%, Wall Street futures dropped over 1%, while safe-haven currencies like the Japanese yen and Swiss franc rose.

Local bonds also rallied. Australia's ten-year government bond yields slid 11 basis points to 4.133%, the lowest since May 1, while New Zealand's ten-year government bond yields dived 8 bps to a six-week low of 4.529%.

Sean Callow, a senior analyst at ITC Markets, said the trend for the Aussie is still up given the pressure on the US dollar from a sluggish US economy and investor unease over the U. policy outlook.

"Investors are likely to expect that Israel's strikes will be contained to a relatively short period, not something that will dictate market direction multi-week," he said.

Also, Japan's Nikkei share average fell on Friday, mirroring moves in US stock futures, oil and other stock markets on news that Israel had conducted a military strike on Iran.

As of 0106 GMT, the Nikkei was down 1.5% at 37,584.47.

The broader Topix fell 1.28% to 2,7473.9.

"The market was selling stocks on caution for geopolitical risks, but the news was not driving a fire sale because investors still wanted to monitor the development of the attacks," said Naoki Fujiwara, a senior fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management.

Chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron fell 5.5% to drag the Nikkei the most. Uniqlo-brand owner Fast Retailing lost 2.1%.

Exporters fell as the yen strengthened, with Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor falling 2.75% and 1.5%, respectively.

All but three of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 industry sub-indexes fell.

Energy sectors rose as oil prices jumped, with oil explorers and refiners gaining 3.6% and 2.2%, respectively.

The utility sector rose 0.7%.