S&P Global Ratings revised the outlooks of Saudi Electric Company, Saudi Basic Industries and Saudi Telecom Company to positive from stable, citing the state support they receive.
The rating agency revised Saudi Arabia’s outlook to positive from stable last month, citing improving gross domestic product growth and fiscal dynamics over the medium term as the kingdom’s economy continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
It revised SEC’s outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its “A-” long-term corporate credit rating. The utility company, which serves 10.5 million subscribers, recently posted a 220 per cent rise in net profit for 2021 to 6.729 billion Saudi riyals ($1.79bn).
“The positive outlook on SEC mirrors that on Saudi Arabia. We equalise our long-term issuer credit rating on SEC with the sovereign rating on Saudi Arabia because we consider that the government is almost certain to support SEC if needed,” S&P said.
The outlook for Saudi Basic Industries, known as Sabic, was revised to positive from stable. Its “A-/A-2” long- and short-term corporate credit rating and related debt rating were affirmed.
Sabic, the Middle East’s biggest petrochemicals company, reported a surge in annual net income to 23 billion riyals in 2021 from 70 million riyals in the previous year, due to higher average selling prices and an increase in the share of results of its joint ventures and associates.
“The positive outlook … reflects our expectation that Sabic will maintain industry-leading profitability and modest leverage,” S&P said.
The agency also revised STC’s outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its “A-/A-2” long-and short-term corporate credit rating and related debt rating.
STC, the country’s largest mobile operator, is majority owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund.
“We view STC as a government-related entity with a high likelihood of extraordinary support. The very strong link with the Saudi government caps the rating on STC at the level of the A- sovereign rating on Saudi Arabia.”
Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s largest economy, continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic on the back of higher oil prices, an accelerated vaccination programme and government policies to attract more investment.
The kingdom’s economy is estimated to have expanded by 3.3 per cent last year. S&P expects it to grow by 5.8 per cent in 2022 and by an average of 2.7 per cent from 2023 to 2025.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
