Saudi Shura Council Asks Capital Market Authority to Stimulate Listings for Small Enterprises

An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 18, 2016. (Reuters)
An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 18, 2016. (Reuters)
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Saudi Shura Council Asks Capital Market Authority to Stimulate Listings for Small Enterprises

An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 18, 2016. (Reuters)
An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 18, 2016. (Reuters)

The Saudi Shura Council called on the Capital Market Authority to promote local and international institutional investment, in addition to working on activating the rules, regulations and procedures and strengthening oversight over trading, corporate performance and listings for new and small enterprises to protect investors and the Saudi market.

During its 42nd regular session for the first year of the eighth session, which was held on Tuesday via video conference, the Council also issued a decision regarding the latest annual report of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, calling for speeding up the completion of its new system and finalizing its updated strategic plan for the year 2025. It also stressed the need to develop and diversify the city’s financial resources through the establishment of endowments and national funds.

The council asked the city to strengthen its efforts to expand research, development and innovative programs and projects pertaining to national security and defense, in coordination with the competent authorities. It also pointed to a strategic project launched by the city under the name of, “the Kingdom’s National Laboratory”, asking the relevant authorities to equip it with the latest technologies in order to enable it to contribute to the transfer and localization of technology, and upgrade the system of research, development and innovation.

Meanwhile, the Governor of the Saudi Central Bank, Dr. Fahad Al-Mubarak, emphasized the efforts made by the Banking Information and Awareness Committee for Saudi banks, in order to spread and strengthen the financial culture within the Saudi society and raise the level of financial awareness.

Al-Mubarak stressed the keenness of the Saudi Central Bank, in cooperation with the financial sectors, to raise the level of financial guidance and awareness among clients of the banking and financial sector, using the various available communication channels, in the context of serving and protecting the interests of the customers.

The governor urged all financial institutions to deploy more efforts to develop education programs for clients on financial fraud methods, and to continuously measure the effectiveness and efficiency of awareness tools.



Oil Falls from Highest since October as Dollar Strengthens

People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP
People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP
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Oil Falls from Highest since October as Dollar Strengthens

People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP
People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP

Oil prices dipped on Monday amid a strong US dollar ahead of key economic data by the US Federal Reserve and US payrolls later in the week.
Brent crude futures slid 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $76.23 a barrel by 0800 GMT after settling on Friday at its highest since Oct. 14.
US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 27 cents, or 0.4%, at $73.69 a barrel after closing on Friday at its highest since Oct. 11, Reuters reported.
Oil posted five-session gains previously with hopes of rising demand following colder weather in the Northern Hemisphere and more fiscal stimulus by China to revitalize its faltering economy.
However, the strength of the dollar is on investor's radar, Priyanka Sachdeva, a senior market analyst at Phillip Nova, wrote in a report on Monday.
The dollar stayed close to a two-year peak on Monday. A stronger dollar makes it more expensive to buy the greenback-priced commodity.
Investors are also awaiting economic news for more clues on the Federal Reserve's rate outlook and energy consumption.
Minutes of the Fed's last meeting are due on Wednesday and the December payrolls report will come on Friday.
There are some future concerns about Iranian and Russian oil shipments as the potential for stronger sanctions on both producers looms.
The Biden administration plans to impose more sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine, taking aim at its oil revenues with action against tankers carrying Russian crude, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday.
Goldman Sachs expects Iran's production and exports to fall by the second quarter as a result of expected policy changes and tighter sanctions from the administration of incoming US President Donald Trump.
Output at the OPEC producer could drop by 300,000 barrels per day to 3.25 million bpd by second quarter, they said.
The US oil rig count, an indicator of future output, fell by one to 482 last week, a weekly report from energy services firm Baker Hughes showed on Friday.
Still, the global oil market is clouded by a supply surplus this year as a rise in non-OPEC supplies is projected by analysts to largely offset global demand increase, also with the possibility of more production in the US under Trump.