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Saudi Arabia: Arar Prepares to Explore $6 Bn Investment Opportunities

Northern Borders Investment Forum hall (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Northern Borders Investment Forum hall (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia: Arar Prepares to Explore $6 Bn Investment Opportunities

Northern Borders Investment Forum hall (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Northern Borders Investment Forum hall (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Northern Borders Investment Forum in Arar, northern Saudi Arabia, is expected to reveal investment opportunities worth approximately $6 billion in various sectors.

On Saturday, the Governor of the Northern Borders Region, Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan, will inaugurate the event with several national and international officials and experts.

The event is organized by the region directorate and the Federation of Saudi Chambers. It will host several ministers, officials, experts, advisors, company presidents, executive directors, and business people.

It is scheduled to present more than 157 investment opportunities in the northern border region, with an estimated value of $5.8 billion, in various targeted sectors, such as transportation, logistics services, mining, education, health, real estate development, industry, tourism, hospitality, and scientific research.

The forum will include seven sessions with the participation of Minister of Commerce Majid al-Qasabi, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman al-Fadhli, Deputy Minister of Education Mohammad al-Sudairi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khaled al- Mudaifer.

The sessions will include the Maaden CEO Robert Wilt, Deputy Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency for Research and International Affairs Fahad al-Shathri, and several international officials.

Through its sessions, the forum reviews investment trends, horizons, opportunities in the northern border region, ways to stimulate investment growth and business sustainability, support programs, and financing solutions for investors.

It also addresses the efforts of Saudi foreign business councils in stimulating trade, investment, and government initiatives to empower investors in the region.

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Oil Prices Fall More than 1% as Hurricane Rafael Risk Recedes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
TT
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Oil Prices Fall More than 1% as Hurricane Rafael Risk Recedes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices fell on Friday on receding fears over the impact of Hurricane Rafael on oil and gas infrastructure in the US Gulf while investors also weighed up fresh Chinese economic stimulus.

Brent crude oil futures lost $1.04, or 1.38%, to $74.59 a barrel by 1243 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $1.22, or 1.69%, at $71.14.

The benchmarks have reversed Thursday's gains of nearly 1%, but Brent and WTI are still on track to finish 2% up over the week, with investors also examining how US President-elect Donald Trump's policies might affect oil supply and demand, Reuters reported.

Hurricane Rafael, which has caused 391,214 barrels per day of US crude oil production to be shut in, is forecast to weaken and move slowly away from US Gulf coast oilfields in the coming days, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Downward price pressure also came from data showing crude imports in China, the world's largest oil importer, fell 9% in October - the sixth consecutive month to show a year-on-year decline.

"The weakening of oil imports in China is due to weaker demand for oil as a result of the sluggish economic development and rapid advance of e-mobility," said Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch.

China kicked off a fresh round of fiscal support on Friday, announcing a package that eases debt repayment strains for local governments.

The nation's economy has faced strong deflationary pressures in the face of weak domestic demand, a property crisis and mounting financing strains on indebted local governments, limiting their investment capability.

"There were no additional stimulus measures targeting domestic demand, hence the disappointment weighing on prices," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo told Reuters.

Prices had risen on Thursday on expected actions by the incoming Trump administration, such as tighter sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, which could limit oil supply to global markets.

"In the short-term, oil prices might rise if the new President Trump is quick on the draw with oil sanctions," said PVM analyst John Evans.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Thursday that Trump's proposed policies of broad-based tariffs, deportations and tax cuts would have no near-term impact on the US economy, but the Fed would begin estimating the impact of such policies on its goals of stable inflation and maximum employment.

The Fed cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Thursday.