Economic updates
Our in-depth, independent reports cover the macroeconomic environment, the Saudi government’s annual budget, and Saudi Arabia’s monetary and financial developments, labor market, and inflation.
Quarterly Oil Market Update (Q3 2014)
Oil market reportIn Q3 2014 oil prices dropped by 7.3 percent to an average of $102 per barrel. We believe this was due to a combination of accelerating US supply, weaker than expected global demand, stabilization in geopolitics, and an appreciation of the dollar. Oil prices will recover slightly in Q4 2014 but ample supply from non-OPEC sources will prevent prices from rising too far beyond $100 per barrel, unless there is a significant deterioration in geopolitics in Iraq, Libya or Russia/Ukraine. We expect Saudi production to 9.5 mbpd in Q4 2014, resulting in 9.7 mbpd average for 2014. In 2015, as the global economy recovers and oil demand picks up, we see Saudi production averaging 9.6 mbpd.
Outlook for crude oil refining- focus on the Saudi refining sector in global context
Saudi Arabia will see 1.2 million barrels per day (mbpd) of new refining capacity come online by 2020. This includes the Satorp refinery, which is already up and running, and the Yasref refinery, which will start up in Q4 2014. This major investment in downstream sector by the Kingdom coincides with a huge growth in modern refineries in countries such as India and China, which will add around 7 mbpd of highly complex capacity globally by the end of the decade. The purpose of this report is to highlight the key trends in the international refining sector and to analyze the impact of these developments on the Saudi refining sector.
Oil Market Dynamics and Saudi fiscal challenges
Oil market reportOil Market Dynamics and Saudi fiscal challenges
Oil market dynamics and Saudi fiscal challenges
Macroeconomic reportThe recent OPECs decision not to cut output adds further uncertainty not only on the global oil market, but also on the outlook for the Kingdoms fiscal policy. In this report we examine the global environment that led to such decision. We note that while such decision along with other variables in the market would result in different price levels over the next two years, prices of $85 and 83 per barrel for 2015 and 2016, respectively, are most likely. These lower prices will have a direct impact on the balance of payments and fiscal position of the Kingdom. In this report, we examine a number of fiscal policy reactions to different budgetary outcomes and implication of each on the non-oil economy.
