Saudi Arabia’s Reserves Grew in July From Lowest Since 2010
Saudi Arabia’s net foreign assets rose slightly in July even as crude prices linger below $50 a barrel.
(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia’s net foreign assets rose slightly in July even as crude prices lingering below $50 a barrel kept the coffers of the world’s largest oil exporter under pressure.
The stockpile grew by 1.61 billion riyals ($429 million), a rise of around 0.1%, according to a monthly report from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, the kingdom’s central bank, on Sunday. Reserves in June had fallen to 1.66 trillion riyals, the lowest level since 2010.
Officials attributed a record cumulative decline of more than $47 billion in March and April to a $40 billion transfer from the central bank to the sovereign wealth fund, intended to support investments abroad to take advantage of market turmoil during the coronavirus pandemic.
Saudi Arabia has suffered from a simultaneous decline in oil and non-oil revenue this year as the global pandemic combined with lower energy prices to jolt the kingdom’s public finances. Officials have taken unprecedented measures in response, including tripling value-added tax.
The government could still face a budget deficit of over 13% of gross domestic product in 2020, according to the median of forecasts compiled by Bloomberg. Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan has said the kingdom will double its borrowing plans this year to soften the impact on the state’s reserves, which it needs to maintain above a certain level to support the kingdom’s currency peg to the dollar.
The new central bank data also showed that ATM withdrawals combined with electronic point-of-sales transactions -- a key indicator of consumer spending -- rose 3.8% annually in July, equivalent to a slight decline when adjusted for inflation.
The kingdom’s higher value-added tax of 15% kicked in on July 1, driving annual inflation up to 6.1%, the fastest pace in years.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.