Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We have another rather busy day with which to close out the week, with a little bit of everything: Leading our newswell this morning is the latest data on sovereign wealth funds in the region, where the Public Investment Fund takes the fourth spot in terms of overall activity. Meanwhile, we also have updates on the Cultural Investment Conference, Bahri’s latest bulk fleet expansion, and regulations for SPACs to hit Nomu. Let’s dive in.

HAPPENING TODAY-

The Riyadh International Book Fair kicks off today and runs through this Saturday at Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University. The event features some 2k publishing houses from over 25 countries, with book signings, children’s programs, and new business zones for publishers and literary agents also on the agenda.

WEATHER- Two more days of rain are expected over Asir, with moderate to light rain over Jazan, Makkah, and Al Baha. Riyadh is expected to see temperatures as high as 36°C and as low as 26°C, while Jeddah’s mercury will go up to 36°C before cooling down to 28°C, and Makkah will witness a 42°C high and a 30°C low.

PSAs-

REMINDER- Taxpayers can benefit from fine cancellations and penalty exemptions until 31 December under an initiative from the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (Zatca), according to a statement published yesterday by the authority. Zacta extended the initiative for six additional months in June.

Government bodies, financing and ins. corporations, and individuals now have access to vehicles’ indicative prices that are updated according to market changes via the national platform Marjea, the Saudi Authority of Accredited Valuers (Taqeem) posted on X.

Licenses for pilgrim accommodation in Makkah and Madinah during the 2026 Hajj season will now be issued through the temporary hostel licensing service, the Tourism Ministry said on X yesterday. The new system requires applications via the Nusuk Masar platform and licensing through the Tourism Ministry’s platform before 1 February 2026. The rule excludes hotels with year-round licenses.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

Canada Medical secures nod to move up Tadawul’s ranks: Nomu-listed healthcare provider Canadian Medical Center (CMC) lined up approval from the Saudi Exchange to transfer its SAR 77 mn share capital to main market Tadawul, according to a bourse statement. CMC first announced plans to graduate from Nomu in March of last year, when it tapped Al Rajhi Capital to advise on the transition. The company’s stock rose 4.6% to SAR 7.7 at yesterday’s close.

What it takes: To transition from Nomu to the main market, a company must have been listed on Nomu for at least two years and satisfy all main market listing conditions — except for market capitalization, where a lower threshold of an average SAR 200 mn over the past six months applies.

UPDATES-

#1- India’s antitrust regulator greenlights Salic’s majority grab of Olam Agri Holdings: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) signed off on Saudi Arabia’s Salic — the food and agri investment arm of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) — raising its stake in Singapore-based Olam Agri Holdings to 80% for USD 1.78 bn, Business Standard reports.

Salic’s India footprint: Through its 9.2% stake in LT Foods (Daawat basmati rice brand), Salic has exposure to India’s FMCG market. Separately, Olam Agri operates in India as a wholesale supplier of agri-commodities, with retail exposure limited to basmati rice.

The transaction, first announced in February, raises Salic’s holding from 35.4% acquired in 2022, and comes with a call option to scoop up the remaining 20% over the next three years from Singapore-listed food conglomerate Olam Group.

#2- The 3 GW Egypt-Saudi electricity interconnection project will be up and running by the end of the year, Egyptian Electricity Minister Mahmoud Esmat told Asharq Business. The project is now 92% complete, with just testing and the installation of the final connections left, Esmat added.

DATA POINTS-

The Saudi Central Bank's (Sama) total assets climbed to nearly SAR 1.98 tn in August 2025, up SAR 61.2 bn y-o-y and SAR 71.8 bn m-o-m, Argaam reports. The increase came despite a 4% annual drop in its largest holding — foreign securities — which fell to SAR 990 bn.

The breakdown: Sama’s asset allocation was led by investments in foreign securities, making up 50% of the total, followed by deposits with banks abroad (20.8%), foreign currencies and gold (14.6%), and other assets (13.2%).

OIL WATCH-

Aramco cut its October contract prices for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to the lowest levels since August 2023, trimming propane to USD 495 per ton and butane to USD 475 per ton, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The move caught traders off guard, coming in around USD 50 below their market expectations.

Future volumes in question: The price drop follows hesitancy among term buyers to lock in the same volumes from Aramco for 2026 that they had agreed to this year, traders told the business news service. Negotiations over next year’s term supply are still underway, with traders suggesting that the October cut signals Aramco may keep prices favorable in the year ahead.

The lower contract price sheds light on the intensifying competition between Middle Eastern suppliers and US exporters. This “supply battle” comes after the US shipped a record volume of LPG to Indonesia last month — a key demand hub alongside India, Samantha Hartke, head of market analysis for the Americas at Vortexa, told the news service.

ALSO- The long-standing “Saudi put” that once kept oil markets from sliding too low has faded, with the Kingdom flooding the market this year even as futures slumped into the USD 60s, Bloomberg argued. Instead, China has quietly taken up the stabilizing role by stockpiling and pulling excess barrels from the market, diverting them into strategic reserves. By absorbing supplies that might otherwise swell visible in Western inventories, China has muted downward pressure on global benchmarks.

That shift leaves prices unusually reliant on China’s stockpiling appetite. For now, it’s offsetting forecasts of a looming glut through next year, but traders warn that if Chinese reserve building slows, the market could face a sharper correction than current prices suggest.

By the numbers: The kingdom’s crude exports climbed to 6.42 mn bbl / d in September — the highest in a year and a half — Bloomberg reports, citing its tanker-tracking data. Shipments rose by just over 600k bbl / d, compared to August, indicating that the global market is finally receiving the Kingdom’s share of Opec+ output hikes. However, Saudi Arabia was expected to export less crude oil to China in September, down from August volumes that were at a more than two-year high.

SPORTS-

United eye Saudi trip: Manchester United is considering playing a mid-season friendly in the Kingdom as the club looks for new ways to raise revenue after missing out on Champions League football and posting another annual loss, The Athletic reports. Talks are still at an early stage, with Riyadh Season seen as a possible platform for the match, though no agreement has been reached.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

All eyes are still on the US shutdown, which began early yesterday morning, as well as on Israel’s interception of vessels from the Gaza aid flotilla.

The shutdown is expected to last at least three days, with the Senate out of session today for Yom Kippur and only expected to meet again on Friday. During this time, White House Budget Director Russell Vought reportedly said the government plans to terminate workers, while some USD 26 bn in funding for Democratic states has been frozen. US President Donald Trump had warned that he would use the funding gap to target “Democrat things.” (Reuters | Bloomberg | CNBC)

Israel intercepted a number of vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was on its way to Gaza to deliver aid, moving some of the activists on board to an Israeli port. The passengers also said Israel was using “active aggression” on their fleet and trying to sink one of the boats. (Reuters | Guardian)

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