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Saudi Arabia's Trade Surplus Hits Record High of Over SAR41.411 Billion

Saudi Arabia's Trade Surplus Hits Record High of Over SAR41.411 Billion
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Saudi Arabia's Trade Surplus Hits Record High of Over SAR41.411 Billion

Saudi Arabia's Trade Surplus Hits Record High of Over SAR41.411 Billion

Saudi Arabia’s trade balance reached a surplus of SAR41.411 billion in April 2024, which is the highest level so far this year, according to the preliminary international trade data released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Thursday.

The data shows a 36% monthly growth and an increase of SAR10.967 billion compared to the surplus of SAR30.443 billion posted in March of the same year. The trade balance has grown by over 48.5% since the beginning of the year, with an increase of SAR13.525 billion, as it stood at SAR27.885 billion in January.

The Kingdom's total international trade exceeded SAR162 billion, with goods exports reaching SAR101.708 billion, accounting for 63% of total trade. Goods imports reached SAR60.297 billion. Non-oil domestic exports amounted to SAR16.234 billion in April 2024, representing 16% of total exports. Oil exports amounted to SAR79.326 billion, accounting for 78% of total exports, while re-exports value reached SAR6.147 billion, representing 6% of total exports.

In April 2024, the Asian group of countries, excluding Arab and Islamic countries, topped the group of importing countries, accounting for 50.2% of the Kingdom's total goods exports, with a value of SAR51.094 billion. The European Union group of countries was second, accounting for 16.5% of total goods exports, with a value of SAR16.757 billion. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group of countries was third, accounting for 12.4% of total goods exports, with a value of SAR12.562 billion.

In terms of exports by country, China was the largest importer, accounting for 16.6% of the Kingdom's total goods exports, with a value of SAR16.925 billion in April 2024, while Japan followed with a value of SAR9.321 billion and a share of 9.2% of total goods exports. India was third as the largest importer, with a value of SAR8.250 billion and a share of 8.1% of total goods exports.

Non-oil exports, including re-exports, passed through 29 diverse customs outlets and ports (sea, land, and air), with a preliminary value of SAR22.382 billion. King Fahd Industrial Port in Jubail achieved the highest value among all available means of transport and different outlets, with a value of SAR3.594 billion, or 16.1% of the total.

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Maersk Halts Operations at Oman's Salalah Port Due to Security Incident

(FILES) Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk stand on a vessel in Copenhagen on September 14, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON / AFP)
(FILES) Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk stand on a vessel in Copenhagen on September 14, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON / AFP)
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Maersk Halts Operations at Oman's Salalah Port Due to Security Incident

(FILES) Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk stand on a vessel in Copenhagen on September 14, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON / AFP)
(FILES) Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk stand on a vessel in Copenhagen on September 14, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON / AFP)

Danish container shipping group Maersk has temporarily halted its operations at the Port of Salalah in Oman, it said, following a security incident that occurred early on Saturday.

All Maersk crew were safe ⁠and accounted for, and ⁠no company cargo or vessels were affected, the shipping giant said in a statement.

The port was evacuated ⁠after an incident damaged a terminal crane, prompting a temporary suspension of operations across the facility.

Maersk currently estimates that operations will be halted for approximately 48 hours, Reuters quoted it as saying.

The disruption comes as the ⁠conflict ⁠in the region has unsettled energy and transport markets, with shipping affected by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Business

Fitch Affirms Israel's 'A' Rating with Negative Outlook

Smoke rises following a missile attack from Iran on Tel Aviv (Reuters)
Smoke rises following a missile attack from Iran on Tel Aviv (Reuters)
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Fitch Affirms Israel's 'A' Rating with Negative Outlook

Smoke rises following a missile attack from Iran on Tel Aviv (Reuters)
Smoke rises following a missile attack from Iran on Tel Aviv (Reuters)

Global ratings agency Fitch reaffirmed Israel's long-term foreign-currency rating at "A" with a negative outlook on Friday, adding that rising public debt levels and ongoing war-related risks could weaken the country's ⁠fiscal trajectory.

Fitch forecast ⁠military expenditure will remain high in 2026, well above pre-war levels, as Israel's involvement in Lebanon intensifies ⁠and operations continue.

It also expects Israel's central government cash budget deficit to widen this year before narrowing in 2027 as military spending declines.

"Israel's recent and ongoing military operations have somewhat diminished geopolitical risks ⁠to ⁠the ratings and demonstrated a highly effective defensive capability", the ratings agency said, although it warned the duration and scope of the current conflict remains uncertain.

Business

SoftBank Secures $40 Billion Loan to Boost OpenAI Investments

FILE PHOTO: The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
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SoftBank Secures $40 Billion Loan to Boost OpenAI Investments

FILE PHOTO: The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

Softbank Group said on Friday it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan to bolster investments in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and for general corporate purposes, marking another significant step in its artificial intelligence strategy.

The Japanese investment conglomerate, led by founder Masayoshi Son, continues to strengthen ties with OpenAI as global tech firms race to gain an edge in the increasingly competitive ⁠generative AI space.

The Japanese investor has previously agreed to invest $30 billion in OpenAI through its Vision Fund 2. The bridge loan is unsecured, the company said.

The loan, which matures in March 2027, was arranged with lenders including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp and MUFG Bank.

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has emerged as a leading player following the ⁠widespread adoption of ChatGPT, prompting a surge in investment across the sector.

The loan underscores Son's increasingly aggressive bet on AI following years when SoftBank swung between outsized gains and heavy Vision Fund losses.

SoftBank ⁠and OpenAI were among the companies behind the Stargate Project last year, which said it aimed to invest up to $500 billion over ⁠four years to build AI infrastructure in the United States.

Son and then President-elect Donald Trump announced in December 2024 ⁠that SoftBank planned to invest $100 billion in AI and related infrastructure in the US over four years.

Giant Alliance

In a related development, Japanese industrial conglomerate Toshiba said on Friday it will start negotiations with Mitsubishi Electric and chipmaker Rohm to merge their power semiconductor businesses, as international competition over the sector heats up.

The move comes as Japan has been pushing for a greater presence in the global semiconductor market.

If realized, the alliance would create the world's second-largest power chip group, according to local media.

Billed as able to drastically reduce power loss, power semiconductors are seen as pivotal to sectors ranging from railway to automotive and renewable energy.

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (TDSC), a subsidiary of Toshiba, signed a memorandum of understanding to begin discussions with Mitsubishi and Rohm.

“As the global competition over the semiconductor industry keeps intensifying, TDSC and Rohm have long explored the possibility of coordinating in the power semiconductor sector,” Toshiba said.

With Mitsubishi Electric now on board, too, a merger would make “our business scale and technological infrastructure competitive in the global market,” Toshiba said.

The agreement was also signed by Japan Industrial Partners and TBJ Holdings.

Japan currently holds less than 10% of the global chip market, but the government is investing heavily in new factories in a bid to change that.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration set a new sales target for domestically produced microchips, aiming for an eightfold increase by 2040 compared with 2020 levels.

The 2040 target of 40 trillion yen ($250 billion) far exceeds sales of around five trillion yen in 2020, according to figures from the ministry of economy, trade and industry.