PIF Launches Saudi Egyptian Investment Company

The Public Investment Fund launched the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company to invest in promising sectors throughout Egypt.
The Public Investment Fund launched the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company to invest in promising sectors throughout Egypt.
TT
20

PIF Launches Saudi Egyptian Investment Company

The Public Investment Fund launched the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company to invest in promising sectors throughout Egypt.
The Public Investment Fund launched the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company to invest in promising sectors throughout Egypt.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) launched on Friday the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company (SEIC) to invest in promising sectors throughout Egypt, one of the world’s emerging markets.

SEIC will invest in priority sectors including but not limited to, infrastructure, real estate development, health care, financial services, food and agriculture, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and other opportunistic investments.

The company will also contribute to enhancing access for PIF and its portfolio companies, along with the Saudi private sector, to a variety of investment opportunities in Egypt. This will help drive attractive long-term commercial returns and boost cooperation across many strategic sectors.

Yazeed Alhumied Deputy Governor and Head of MENA Investments at PIF, said: "We are pleased to announce the launch of the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company, in line with PIF’s ongoing expansion domestically and globally, and in alignment with our 2021-2025 strategy."

"In light of the economic growth in the region, SEIC will capitalize on lucrative investment opportunities within a number of promising Egyptian economic sectors, which will also support the expansion efforts of Saudi businesses and other PIF portfolio companies," he added.

"The strategic economic partnerships that PIF has established with many investors and leading companies are among the most fundamental elements of its success," he stressed.

The launch of SEIC comes in line with PIF’s strategy to explore new investment opportunities in the MENA region that support the creation of long-term strategic economic partnerships to achieve sustainable returns to maximize the Fund's assets and diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy in line with Vision 2030.



Oil Prices Rise as Iran Suspends Cooperation with UN Nuclear Watchdog

An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS
An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS
TT
20

Oil Prices Rise as Iran Suspends Cooperation with UN Nuclear Watchdog

An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS
An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS

Oil futures edged up on Wednesday as Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and markets weighed expectations of more supply from major producers next month, while the US dollar softened further. Brent crude was up 55 cents, or 0.8%, to $67.66 a barrel at 1301 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 58 cents, or nearly 0.9%, to $66.03 a barrel.

Brent has traded between a high of $69.05 a barrel and low of $66.34 since June 25, as concerns of supply disruptions in the Middle East have ebbed following a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Iran enacted a law on Wednesday that stipulates any future inspection of its nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency needs approval by Tehran's Supreme National Security Council. The country has accused the agency of siding with Western countries and providing a justification for Israel's air strikes, according to Reuters.

"The market is pricing in some geopolitical risk premium from Iran's move on the IAEA," said Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst at UBS. "But this is about sentiment, there are no disruptions to oil." Planned supply increases by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia, a group known as OPEC+, appear already priced in by investors and are unlikely to catch markets off-guard again imminently, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at brokerage Phillip Nova. Four OPEC+ sources told Reuters last week the group plans to raise output by 411,000 barrels per day next month when it meets on July 6, a similar amount to the hikes agreed for May, June and July. "We are all talking about additional supply coming to the market, but the supply has not really hit the market," UBS' Staunovo said. "Probably because it's being consumed domestically."

Overall OPEC+ exports are relatively flat to slightly down since March, Staunovo said. He expects this trend to persist over the summer as hot weather drives higher energy demand. The greenback continued to weaken, falling to a 3-1/2-year low against its major peers on Wednesday. A weaker dollar tends to support oil prices, as it can boost demand for buyers paying in other currencies.

The release of the key US monthly employment report on Thursday will shape expectations around the depth and timing of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in the second half of this year, said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG.

Lower interest rates could spur economic activity, which would in turn boost oil demand. Official US oil stockpile data from the Energy Information Administration is due to be released at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) on Wednesday. American Petroleum Institute data late on Tuesday showed US crude oil inventories rose by 680,000 barrels in the past week at a time when stockpiles are typically drawn down amid summer demand, sources said.