Rising gold prices threaten some factories with closure

August 12, 2013

Rising_gold_pricesJeddah, Aug 12: The rising prices of gold during the past two weeks caused stagnation in the Saudi market, and pushed gold merchants to activate sales because factories didn’t halt their production, according to the National Committee for Precious Metals.

The price of the precious metal has registered the second weekly decline, while the dollar has recovered from its lowest value since seven weeks ago.

Speculation about the US Federal Reserve to reduce the bonds purchase program with a value of $85 billion a month was triggered by the low price of gold, which reached its lowest levels this week.

“Gold merchants didn’t lose because of the declining world prices, because most of them deal with gold as physical balance, and most merchants have sufficient gold accounts,” said Ahmad Al-Sharif, member of the National Committee for Precious Metals.

Gold prices declined by 0.2 percent, to $1,308 per ounce, and the market is about to close at 0.25 percent. Delayed US gold contracts, which will be delivered in December declined by $2, to $1,307.90 per ounce.

Silver prices stabilized at $20.19 per ounce, while platinum gained 0.1 percent to $1,488 per ounce. Palladium rose 0.1 percent to $736.97 per ounce.

Meanwhile, the National Committee for Precious Metals is attempting to ferret out illegal gold sellers, which had controlled as much as one-quarter of the gold market.

“Workshops have been organized, which held unknown names in the gold trade, or operated from places that didn’t have defined headquarters contained products with ambiguous origins were combated,” said Al-Sharif. “We are working on a mechanism to combat violating workshops, and educate consumers and merchants who deal with such workshops. We advise merchants, and gold market clients to buy gold from approved individuals.”

He pointed to the existence of “workshops alien to the market” that had a large share before prices rose, which control 25 percent of the market.

“After the rising prices a large number of these workshops sold their stocks and changed their activities because they were illegal dealers,” he said. “After strict controls and the correction of labor status these violating workshops will be eliminated, because most of them are illegal workers who practice their business in un licensed areas.”

“At the present time, and because of the strict control of the Passport Department and the Ministry of Labor, these workshops have 10 percent of the market share,” he said.

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Agencies
May 25,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 25: Dusty weather to persist in the UAE on Monday as well with a chance of rainfall in parts of the country, the national Met department reported.

According to the NCM, the weather today will be fair to partly cloudy, with a chance of some convective clouds formation by afternoon - eastward and northward - extending to some internal areas that may be associated with some rainfall.

The weather will get humid by night and Tuesday morning over some coastal areas.

NCM predicts a wet Eid break.

Sharjah Police issued a weather warning as heavy rain flooded roads in Sharjah's Kalba among other areas.

Moderate to fresh winds will gain strength during the day causing blowing dust and sand.

The sea will be slight to moderate in the Arabian Gulf and in Oman Sea.

Earlier on Sunday, a weather alert was issued by authorities as moderate to heavy rain - accompanied with hail - lashed parts of the UAE. A rainbow in Dubai skies cheered up residents, celebrating a unique Eid this year amid the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic - by mostly staying home.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD) is letting go hundreds of employees, sources said, the latest in a round of lay-offs by regional banks as pressure mounts to cut costs amid lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis.

The UAE’s third-biggest lender is laying off 400 employees, two sources familiar with the matter said, after it had committed to not cutting staff because of the crisis.

In a statement, a spokesman said ADCB had pursued efficiency over the last decade by managing out its lowest underachievers after regular reviews, while ensuring talent was deployed in high-growth areas, such as digital banking.

“A certain number of redundancies are therefore expected every year in the normal course of business,” the bank spokesman added.

The sources said the cuts would involve ADCB’s consumer business and several in top management were among those being let go. One source said the bank was looking to close 20 branches.

In March, ADCB had declared, “No employee will be made redundant during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAE banks have been hit by government measures to rein in the spread of the virus, forcing many businesses to shut temporarily.

Last week, Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates NBD, reported a slump of 58% in profits. In June, sources told Reuters the bank started a new round of hundreds of lay-offs.

In May, ADCB reported a fall of 84% in first-quarter net profit as it took impairments of $292 million on debt exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health and payments group Finablr.

It was a major lender, with an exposure of about $981 million, to NMC Health, which went into administration this year after months of turmoil following questions over financial reporting.

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News Network
May 13,2020

Riyadh, May 13: Saudi Arabia’s cabinet on Tuesday urged oil-producing nations not only to adhere to agreed cuts to production, but further reduce output to help restore balance in global oil markets, state news agency SPA reported.

In issuing the call to OPEC+, which includes members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other nations, ministers said the Kingdom is committed to supporting the stability of global oil markets.

After the meeting, acting Minister of Media Majed Al-Qasabi said that in addition to its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement, the Kingdom will voluntarily reduce output by an additional 1 million barrels a day in June. It will also try to implement additional cuts this month, with the consent of its customers, he added.

The cabinet said the Saudi initiatives aim to encourage other countries, whether they have signed up to the OPEC+ agreement or not, to adhere to its reduced rates and to cut output even further to help stabilize global oil markets.

During the cabinet meeting, which was conducted using video conferencing, King Salman also briefed ministers on his recent telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump. He said they affirmed the historical and strategic relationship between the two countries and their commitment to the continuation of joint efforts to enhance security and stability in the region.

Ministers were then updated on the latest developments in the corona virus crisis, including the steps being taken locally and internationally to control it and safeguard public health, the number of cases in the Kingdom and the care being provided to those who are infected. They also reviewed details of the active screening and testing programs in all parts of the country, which have helped to keep the number of deaths relatively low compared to global rates.

The cabinet praised the efforts being made by government officials to combat the pandemic, and stressed that citizens and expatriates must abide by the precautionary and preventive measures introduced to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ministers described the decision by Saudi Arabia to host the Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen 2020 on June 2 as an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and development contribution, which reflects its pioneering role in supporting its neighbor.

The cabinet also welcomed the formation of the new government in Iraq and reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for the nation and its readiness to work with the new administration to strengthen relations and enhance security and stability in the region.

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