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Saudi NDMC Completes $33.3 Billion Borrowing Plan for 2021

A general view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File Photo: Reuters)
A general view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File Photo: Reuters)
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Saudi NDMC Completes $33.3 Billion Borrowing Plan for 2021

A general view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File Photo: Reuters)
A general view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (File Photo: Reuters)

Saudi Arabia's National Debt Management Center (NDMC) has completed its 2021 borrowing plan worth over $33.3 billion as part of the public debt strategy adopted to meet the financing needs and seize the opportunities available in local and global markets, and manage potential risks.

NDMC asserted it was working to broaden the investor base, open communication channels with the investors locally and internationally, and enter new geographical regions.

The Center's Chairman, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, highlighted that NDMC's board of directors had approved the proposal of the annual borrowing plan at the beginning of the year.

He indicated that the plan covered the financing needs by issuing $33.3 billion debt instruments, including Sukuk and bonds, which focused on fixed-rate instruments to hedge against risks of potential interest rate fluctuations.

Jadaan indicated that NDMC succeeded in arranging the issuance of sovereign bonds worth €6.8 billion, with the most significant negative yield issuance ever out of the EU, with a coverage ratio of 3.3 times (equivalent to €11.3bn) of the total issuance, which displays the leading position of the Kingdom in global markets.

The Center successfully arranged for the financing of $3 billion provided by Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (KSURE) earlier this year. Additionally, NDMC arranged the second early repurchase of part of bonds and Sukuk maturing next year of a value exceeding $8.8 billion.

The Minister announced that 60.5 percent of the debt raised in 2021 was from local sources. The remaining 39.5 percent was made up of international borrowing.

Additionally, several financing channels were utilized, such as government alternative funding and early repurchase of local government issuances.

Work has also started on structuring the green financing framework, one of the ministry's new initiatives and debt-raising channels set to launch next year.

The Minister pointed out that the Kingdom's credit rating has been revised in terms of outlook by credit rating agencies to "stable" affirms the efficiency of the fiscal system, its ability to overcome challenges, its forward-looking approach, and its efforts in developing plans to address these challenges.

Acting CEO Hani al-Medaini said NDMC was working to broaden the investor base, open communication channels with the investors locally and internationally, and penetrate new geographical regions.

He added that NDMC was working with international financial institutions to join the Primary Dealers Program of the Government Local Debt Instruments, attract new foreign capitals to utilize the opportunities available in debt instruments arranged by NDMC, and seize opportunities in local and international markets.

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Tesla, Chips, and Banks Tumble as China’s Retaliation Stokes Fears of Widening Trade War

Tesla’s logo on a building of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, Germany, 03 April 2025. (EPA)
Tesla’s logo on a building of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, Germany, 03 April 2025. (EPA)
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Tesla, Chips, and Banks Tumble as China’s Retaliation Stokes Fears of Widening Trade War

Tesla’s logo on a building of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, Germany, 03 April 2025. (EPA)
Tesla’s logo on a building of the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, Germany, 03 April 2025. (EPA)

US chip companies, banks and oil majors fell sharply on Friday after China retaliated to Trump's tariffs with steep duties, in an intensifying trade war between the world's two largest economies that cast a shadow on global growth.

China slapped additional duties of 34% on US goods, set to go into effect April 10. It also announced curbs on exports of some rare-earths and added several US firms to its export control list and the "unreliable entities" list, which allows Beijing to take punitive action.

The action followed US President Donald Trump's 34% duties on imports from China announced on Wednesday, which triggered a massive market meltdown on Thursday. The latest levies were on top of the 20% tariffs on China imposed earlier this year.

Investors were already fretting over potential supply chain disruptions, price hikes and demand destruction for everything from cars and smartphones to sneakers.

Shares of Tesla and Apple - among consumer tech companies with a large exposure to China - were down 8% and 4%, respectively. While both companies have local production in China, duties on US-imported parts could squeeze margins and force price hikes.

"Several tech companies have established local supply chains in China. Most source components from China already, and hence, disruptions should be controllable, though we do expect price hikes on parts and components not being sourced from China," said Nishant Udupa, practice director at research firm Everest Group.

For Tesla, already in a bruising price war with local Chinese rivals, raising prices would pressure demand further.

"Apple's smartphone sales had already been declining in China for some time, faced with growing, cheaper competition. So, the prospect of steep import duties being imposed is likely to sharply erode sales even further," said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Shares of Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon.com were subdued as they had limited exposure to China.

GE Healthcare's stock slid nearly 13%, following China's export controls on a rare-earth metal that is used in MRI scans. The country's announcement of an anti-dumping investigation into imports of certain medical CT tubes from the US and India added to the worries.

SEMICONDUCTORS

Chip companies are set to face headwinds, too, although US exports a much smaller amount of electronic equipment to China. Shares of Intel, Applied Materials and Qualcomm, all of which count on China for at least 30% of revenue, were down 5% to 8%.

The US exported more than $15 billion worth of electrical and electronic equipment to China in 2024, with most of the value coming from integrated circuits, transistors and other semiconductor devices, according to economic data provider Trading Economics. In comparison, the U.S. imported more than $127 billion in electronic equipment from China last year.

"Semiconductors will feel a greater impact ... We're already witnessing a domestic ecosystem evolve in China, with direct alternatives for every major US semiconductor firm. This trend is likely to accelerate," Udupa said.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Crude prices, already under pressure from an expected OPEC+ oil output hike in May, added to the losses.

Oil majors Exxon and Chevron fell more than 5%. Top oilfield service company SLB dropped 10%, and the biggest US refiner by volume, Marathon Petroleum, fell 6%. Chemicals company DuPont slid 12%.

"The trade war escalated, recession fears rise and consequently oil demand growth is to take a sizeable hit," said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM.

China is also the largest market for US agricultural products, even as imports of US farm goods dropped last year.

Shares of top grain traders like Archer-Daniels-Midland fell 8% while Bunge was down 6%. Fertilizer firms Mosaic and CF Industries fell 10% and 8%, respectively.

China's tariffs on US soybean exports would increase the cost to local customers, especially animal feed producers, and could prompt the country to source more from Brazil and Argentina, said Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein.

BANKS

Banks' shares extended their declines from Thursday. The industry has been clouded by fears that a trade dispute could temper consumer confidence, reduce spending, weaken loan demand and pressure fees from advising on deals.

JPMorgan Chase, the biggest US bank by assets, sank 7%. Wall Street titans Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley dropped more than 7% each.

MACHINERY

Heavy machinery makers Caterpillar and Deere fell 5% and 4%, respectively, on concerns over demand from one of their largest overseas markets.

China is a major buyer of construction and agricultural equipment and a key player in global infrastructure spending.

RETAIL

Shares of major luxury and footwear firms reversed coursed after Trump said Vietnam's leader To Lam has offered to reduce tariffs on US imports. Ralph Lauren's shares were up 2.5%, while Tapestry rose as much as 3.6%.

Nike gained 4%, Roger Federer-backed On jumped 7.2% and Lululemon Athletica rose 3%. The stocks had initially fallen after retaliatory tariffs by China, a major revenue contributor.