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Arrangements for Development of Saudi Investment Opportunities Committee

The Saudi Cabinet approved the organizational arrangements for a committee to identify and develop investment opportunities under the umbrella of the Supreme National Investment Committee. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Cabinet approved the organizational arrangements for a committee to identify and develop investment opportunities under the umbrella of the Supreme National Investment Committee. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arrangements for Development of Saudi Investment Opportunities Committee

The Saudi Cabinet approved the organizational arrangements for a committee to identify and develop investment opportunities under the umbrella of the Supreme National Investment Committee. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Cabinet approved the organizational arrangements for a committee to identify and develop investment opportunities under the umbrella of the Supreme National Investment Committee. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday approved the organizational arrangements for a committee to identify and develop investment opportunities under the umbrella of the Supreme National Investment Committee.

Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment, stressed that the organizational arrangements for the Supreme National Investment Committee and its subcommittees, the Committee for Inventory and Development of Investment Opportunities and the National Incentives Committee, represent an integrated system and reflect the leadership efforts to achieve the second pillar of Vision 2030.

He added that these integrated committees will be concerned with achieving the objectives of national investment policies and priorities, as well as overcoming the challenges facing investments and investors, especially the qualitative and strategic sectors.

“Such committees will be the national reference for everything related to investment,” he said.

Al-Falih added that approval of organizational arrangements confirms that Vision 2030 is moving ahead with achieving its objectives.

“This contributes to achieving a qualitative leap, which will reflect positively on all economic and development aspects, including the development, diversification and sustainability of the economy, as well as the transfer and localization of technology, support of the local content development, and improvement of the quality of life. This also contributes to promoting innovation, and providing more job opportunities,” the minister said.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had previously launched the National Investment Strategy (NIS) as a key enabler to deliver the objectives of Vision 2030.

The NIS will contribute to the growth and diversification of the Kingdom’s economy, which, in turn, will achieve many Vision 2030’s goals, including raising the private sector’s contribution to GDP to 65%; increasing the contribution of FDI to GDP to 5.7%; increasing the contribution of non-oil exports to GDP from 16% to 50%; reducing the unemployment rate to 7%; and positioning the Kingdom among the top ten economies in the Global Competitiveness Index; by 2030.

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Oil Prices Climb on Short-covering, but Tariff Concerns Linger

The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, US, November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo
The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, US, November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo
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Oil Prices Climb on Short-covering, but Tariff Concerns Linger

The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, US, November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo
The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, US, November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo

Oil prices climbed on Tuesday as investors took advantage of the previous day's losses to cover short positions, although concerns persisted over economic headwinds from tariffs and US monetary policy that could dampen fuel demand.

Brent crude futures rose 36 cents, or 0.5%, to $66.62 a barrel at 0421 GMT. The US West Texas Intermediate crude contract for May, which expires on Tuesday, was at $63.73 a barrel, up 65 cents, or 1%.

The more actively traded WTI June contract was up 0.7%, or 43 cents, at $62.84 a barrel, Reuters said.

Both benchmarks dropped more than 2% on Monday, as signs of progress in nuclear deal talks between the US and Iran helped ease supply concerns.

"Some short-covering emerged after Monday's sharp sell-off," said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, chief strategist of Nissan Securities Investment, a unit of Nissan Securities.

"However, concerns about a potential recession driven by the tariff war persist," he said, predicting that WTI will likely trade in the $55–$65 range for the time being given ongoing uncertainty related to tariffs.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump repeated his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and said the US economy could slow unless interest rates were lowered immediately.

His comments about Powell fueled worries about the Fed's independence in setting monetary policy and the outlook for US assets. Major US stock indexes dropped and the dollar index slid to a three-year low on Monday.

"The growing uncertainty surrounding US monetary policy is expected to negatively impact financial markets and the broader economy, raising fears that it could lead to a decline in crude oil demand," Kikukawa said.

A Reuters poll on April 17 showed investors believe the tariff policy will trigger a significant slowdown in the US economy this year and next, with the median probability of recession in the next 12 months approaching 50%.

The US is the world's biggest oil consumer.

Progress in talks between the US and Iran, which on Saturday agreed to begin drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal, could also weigh on oil prices and reduce supply concerns as the Middle Eastern country is a major producer.

"Our view that Iran's oil exports face imminent downside risks due to the enforcement of US sanctions has eased given ongoing talks between US and Iran," Vivek Dhar, an analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in a note, adding that US sanctions relief was potentially on the table.

Meanwhile, Russia's economy ministry has cut its forecast for the average price of Brent crude in 2025 by nearly 17% from what it saw in its September calculations, according to documents obtained by Reuters.

US crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have fallen last week, while distillate inventories likely rose, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday, ahead of weekly reports from the American Petroleum Institute and the Energy Information Administration.