Al-Rumayyan: Saudi PIF Targets $1 Trillion Assets by Year-End

A discussion session with the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund at the Economic Club in Washington (X)
A discussion session with the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund at the Economic Club in Washington (X)
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Al-Rumayyan: Saudi PIF Targets $1 Trillion Assets by Year-End

A discussion session with the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund at the Economic Club in Washington (X)
A discussion session with the Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund at the Economic Club in Washington (X)

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has said the sovereign wealth fund is preparing to unveil a new long-term strategy within two months, with assets expected to surpass $1.075 trillion by the end of 2025. He added that the goal is to reach at least $2 trillion by 2030, with potential to exceed $3 trillion.

Speaking at the Economic Club in Washington on Monday, Al-Rumayyan said that PIF currently manages between $925 billion and $945 billion in assets. He noted that the new strategy will build on the current Vision 2030 roadmap but extend to 2040 and beyond.

His remarks came as PIF completed a $2 billion, 10-year bond sale, priced at 95 basis points over US Treasuries, tighter than initial guidance. Sources told Reuters and Bloomberg that investor demand topped $5.5 billion, underscoring strong appetite for the fund’s debt.

Al-Rumayyan emphasized that PIF continues to focus on domestic investment, aiming to develop new industries, create jobs, and expand reliance on local products.

“In 2015, we had about 30 employees in a small office,” he said. “Today, we have nearly 3,000 staff, our headquarters in Riyadh, and offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris, and Beijing, with regional offices planned in Cairo, Amman, Manama, and Muscat.”

He also pointed to Saudi Aramco’s competitive advantage, noting the company produces around 10 million barrels per day at one of the world’s lowest costs - between $3 and $3.5 per barrel - thanks to advanced technologies and artificial intelligence.

Beyond energy, PIF is investing in logistics, infrastructure, technology, semiconductors, renewable energy, and transportation. Its investment in US electric carmaker Lucid has already led to a new factory in King Abdullah Economic City. Deals with Boeing and Airbus, Al-Rumayyan added, are tied to relocating maintenance and manufacturing operations to the Kingdom to strengthen local content and job creation.

On tourism, he said Saudi Arabia welcomed 25 million visitors in the first quarter of 2025, adding: “The Vision 2030 target was 100 million tourists annually, and we achieved that last year.”

He continued that the Kingdom is pressing ahead with flagship projects such as King Salman International Airport, in preparation for Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Since 2015, PIF’s internal rate of return has climbed to about 7.2 percent, up from less than 2 percent previously. Al-Rumayyan stressed that investment choices are guided not only by financial returns but also by their role in driving GDP growth, job creation, and economic diversification.



Gold Retreats as Oil Rises and Inflation Fears Grow

Gold bangles on display at a jewelry shop in Varanasi, India (AFP)
Gold bangles on display at a jewelry shop in Varanasi, India (AFP)
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Gold Retreats as Oil Rises and Inflation Fears Grow

Gold bangles on display at a jewelry shop in Varanasi, India (AFP)
Gold bangles on display at a jewelry shop in Varanasi, India (AFP)

Gold prices slipped on Wednesday as escalating tensions in the Middle East continued to stoke inflation concerns, reinforcing expectations of higher US interest rates.

Spot gold fell 0.7% to $4,027.49 per ounce by 0843 GMT. Prices rose over 2% to a session high of $4,100.19 per ounce on Tuesday after soft US inflation data, Reuters reported.
US gold futures for August delivery slid 0.9% to $4,034.00.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened ⁠to close all possible ⁠export corridors benefiting Washington, after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Oil edged higher after closing at a one-month high on Tuesday.

"Higher US crude, gasoline and diesel prices will result in high inflation numbers in ⁠the next print in August, that could keep the tone of some Fed officials on the hawkish side, which is not helping gold," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

"In the near-term oil and US gasoline prices will continue to influence gold, as it remains a key driver of US inflation," Staunovo added.

Higher interest rates tend to weigh on gold, as they increase the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh told ⁠lawmakers ⁠on Tuesday the central bank had "no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation," hinting that the CPI data was not all swell.

Traders are pricing in about a 59% chance of a rate hike in September, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

Investors now await the US Producer Price Index data due at 1230 GMT today for insights into inflation levels and the monetary policy outlook.

Among other metals, spot silver dipped 0.5% to $58.314 per ounce and platinum gained 0.2% to $1,634.36.

Palladium rose 0.8% to $1,315.05, after gaining 5% in the previous session.


Crude Shipments from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port Near Maximum Levels

King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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Crude Shipments from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port Near Maximum Levels

King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (SPA)
King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Daily crude loadings at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu are close to maximum levels this week, according to data and industry sources.

Shipments from Yanbu reached 4.7 million barrels per day around July 13, up from 3.36 million bpd around July 10 and broadly in line with 4.6 million bpd around July 2, ⁠according to Signal Ocean data.

Loadings have averaged above four million bpd since June, compared with 973,000 bpd around the same period 2025, the data showed.

Kpler data also show daily loadings averaging around four million barrels in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabia has relied increasingly on Yanbu to export crude amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Iran conflict.


BP Sees Boost from Energy Prices in Second Quarter, Expects Lower Net Debt

An illuminated BP logo is seen at a petrol station in Gateshead, Britain September 23, 2021. (Reuters)
An illuminated BP logo is seen at a petrol station in Gateshead, Britain September 23, 2021. (Reuters)
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BP Sees Boost from Energy Prices in Second Quarter, Expects Lower Net Debt

An illuminated BP logo is seen at a petrol station in Gateshead, Britain September 23, 2021. (Reuters)
An illuminated BP logo is seen at a petrol station in Gateshead, Britain September 23, 2021. (Reuters)

BP expects its oil trading result to be slightly higher in the second quarter after an exceptionally strong first quarter, as it continues to profit from a surge in oil prices caused by the Iran war.

The British major flagged higher oil realizations said stronger prices were expected to add a $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion boost to earnings in its oil production and operations business compared with the first quarter.

In its gas and low carbon energy segment, realizations are expected to add a further $500 million to $700 million, it said on Tuesday.

Gas trading results are expected to be broadly unchanged from the previous quarter.

Global benchmark Brent crude prices hit multi-year highs and averaged around $97 per barrel during the April-to-June quarter, up from around $78 in the first quarter and about $67 a year earlier.

BP said refining margins averaged $29.6 per barrel, versus $16.9 in the first quarter.

The company expects upstream production to fall in the second quarter to between 2.17 million and 2.22 million barrels of oil equivalent per day from around 2.34 million boed in the previous three months, due in part to the effects of the crisis.

BP expects net debt to stand at $22 billion to $23 billion at end-June, down from $25.3 billion at the end of March, with a target to reduce this further to $14 billion to $18 billion by the end of next year.

The company made a $2.9 billion payment to redeem €2.5 billion of perpetual hybrid bonds, leaving it with a total of about $13 billion outstanding. It also paid $1.1 billion in Gulf of Mexico settlement liabilities.

Overall, BP expects net debt, hybrid bonds and Gulf of Mexico settlement liabilities to decrease by around a combined $6.3 billion to $7.3 billion from the previous quarter.

Exploration write-offs are seen totaling around $500 million in the second quarter, primarily related to the sale of its stake in the Bay du Nord project offshore Canada.