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Saudi Arabia, Germany Look to Expand Qualitative Investments

Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih Friday outlined the unparalleled Saudi investment opportunities that are available to German businesses (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih Friday outlined the unparalleled Saudi investment opportunities that are available to German businesses (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, Germany Look to Expand Qualitative Investments

Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih Friday outlined the unparalleled Saudi investment opportunities that are available to German businesses (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih Friday outlined the unparalleled Saudi investment opportunities that are available to German businesses (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Presenting the mega investment opportunities available in Saudi Arabia, Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih on Friday stressed that investment prospects in the Kingdom are characterized by quality and match the potentials of prominent German companies.

According to Al-Falih, this will expand the investment and trade partnerships between both Saudi Arabia and Germany.

Saudi Arabia has been mobilizing to strengthen mutual investment relations with strategic partners for more than a month.

In late August, Al-Falih went on an official visit to the UK to discuss major opportunities and benefits from opening the prospects for economic relations to the private sector in the two countries.

In an event hosted by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), the North Africa Middle East Initiative of German Business (NMI), and the German-Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO), the minister outlined how Vision 2030 is driving the Kingdom’s economic transformation and unlocking investment opportunities.

Al-Falih explained that German, international and Saudi companies operating in the Kingdom benefit from the Kingdom’s strategic geographical location, which is not limited to being in the heart of the Middle East, but in a linking location between three continents, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Saudi Arabia’s location enables companies to reach and serve more than 50% of the world’s population within five hours of travel only.

Germany is a key trade and investment partner for Saudi Arabia. It was the 4th largest source of imports to the Kingdom in 2020, and Saudi Arabia is home to several leading German companies — including Siemens and Bosch.

Al-Falih also pointed out that Vision 2030 leads the economic transformation in the Kingdom and works to provide new investment opportunities for a wide range of international and Saudi investors.

Key sectors open for investment highlighted by Al-Falih included renewable energy, green finance, automotive, petrochemicals, healthcare, life science, supply-chain, information communication technology, and digitization.

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Business

Gold Prices Dip as Markets Brace for 'Hawkish' Fed Tone

UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola
UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola
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Gold Prices Dip as Markets Brace for 'Hawkish' Fed Tone

UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola
UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola

Gold edged down on Tuesday as investors, having mostly priced in a Federal Reserve rate cut, looked ahead for clues that the US central bank might opt for a gentler-than-expected easing cycle when its two-day policy meeting begins later in the day.

Spot gold was down 0.3% to $4,174.91 per ounce, as of 0609 GMT. US gold futures for December delivery slipped 0.4% to $4,202.70 per ounce.

Investors are largely repositioning ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting, OANDA senior market analyst Kelvin Wong said.

"Earlier in the month, Jerome Powell signalled hawkish rate-cut guidance during his press conference. So investors in the US Treasury market are adjusting their positions."

The benchmark US 10-year Treasury yields held near a 2-1/2-month peak hit on Monday, Reuters reported.

Analysts widely expect a "hawkish cut" this week accompanied by guidance and forecasts that signal a high threshold for further easing into next year.

Last week, data showed the US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, landed in line with expectations, while consumer sentiment improved in December.

Private payrolls for November recorded their sharpest drop in more than 2-1/2 years, but jobless claims fell to a three-year low for the week ended November 28.

Markets now assign an 89% probability of a quarter-point cut at the Fed's December 9–10 meeting, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

Lower interest rates tend to favor non-yielding assets such as gold.

Meanwhile, silver fell 0.6% to $57.76 per ounce. The white metal hit a record high of $59.32 on Friday.

"Right now, silver is more of a higher-beta play among precious metals," Wong said, adding that low inventories, strong industrial demand, and expectations of Fed rate cuts are driving its momentum, pushing it into risk-on mode and outperforming gold.

Platinum lost 0.2% to $1,638.35, while palladium shed 0.4% to $1,459.78.

Business

Türkiye Cenbank Net Reserves Rose $5.5 billion Last Week, Bankers Say

Türkiye's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara, Türkiye in this January 24, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Türkiye's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara, Türkiye in this January 24, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Cenbank Net Reserves Rose $5.5 billion Last Week, Bankers Say

Türkiye's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara, Türkiye in this January 24, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Türkiye's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara, Türkiye in this January 24, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

The Turkish Central Bank's net reserves increased by around $5.5 billion last week, due to foreign currency buying and rising gold prices, according to bankers.

Calculations by four bankers showed that net reserves rose to almost $78 billion in the week ending December 5, with net reserves excluding swaps rising some $4.5 billion to $62.5 billion, Reuters reported.

The bankers said the central bank bought more than $3 billion last week, with more than $1 billion of the increase due to the gold price change.

The bank's total gross reserves increased by $3.3 billion to $186.5 billion last week, the bankers said.

Their calculations were based on the central bank's preliminary data, with official data to be released on Thursday.

Business

Non-Oil Activities Account for Half of Saudi Economic Growth Momentum

Photo of the Saudi capital (SPA) 
Photo of the Saudi capital (SPA) 
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Non-Oil Activities Account for Half of Saudi Economic Growth Momentum

Photo of the Saudi capital (SPA) 
Photo of the Saudi capital (SPA) 

The Saudi economy posted real growth of 4.8% in the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period of the previous year, reflecting the Kingdom’s sustained economic momentum. Non-oil activities were the primary engine of expansion, while seasonally adjusted real GDP rose 1.4% from the second quarter of 2025.

According to the final data released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the annual growth figure came in slightly below the flash estimate published last October, which had projected a 5% increase. Even so, it remains the strongest quarterly performance recorded in 2025.

Non-oil activities delivered the largest contribution to overall annual growth, adding 2.4 percentage points, or 50% of the total 4.8% expansion. This outpaced the contribution from oil activities, which added 2.0 percentage points. The Authority revised its estimate for non-oil growth downward to 4.3% (from 4.5% in the flash estimate), while slightly raising its estimate for oil-sector growth to 8.3% (from 8.2%) for the previous quarter.

This improvement coincided with the gradual ramp-up in oil production following the expiration of voluntary cuts by the OPEC+ alliance at the end of August. Saudi Arabia increased its output by approximately 547,000 barrels per day starting in September, followed by an additional 137,000 barrels per day from November onward.

Both government activities and net taxes on products made modest positive contributions of 0.2 percentage points each.

On a quarterly, seasonally adjusted basis, oil and non-oil activities contributed 0.8 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.

All economic sectors recorded positive annual growth. Oil refining emerged as the fastest-growing activity in the third quarter, rising 11.9% year-on-year and 3.9% quarter-on-quarter. It was followed by crude oil and natural gas activities, which grew 7.3% annually and 3.2% quarterly. Electricity, gas, and water services also posted gains of 6.4% year-on-year and 1.0% quarter-on-quarter.

From the expenditure perspective, performance varied between annual and quarterly comparisons. Final private consumption increased 2.6% year-on-year, but slipped 0.6% from the previous quarter. Conversely, final government consumption declined 3.1% annually, while increasing 1.4% quarter-on-quarter.

Gross fixed capital formation fell 0.7% year-on-year, but rebounded strongly on a quarterly basis with a 6.2% increase, indicating a pickup in investment spending during the third quarter.

Regarding foreign trade, the overall performance was buoyed by a significant surge in exports, which climbed 18.4% year-on-year and 7.5% quarter-on-quarter, reflecting strong external demand for Saudi products. Imports rose 4.3% annually, but edged down 1.2% on a quarterly basis.