Saudi GDP shrinks for second quarter in a row

Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted for a second quarter as the kingdom grapples with low oil prices and its businesses struggle to cope with economic reforms. Stocks dropped. The kingdom’s gross domestic product shrank 1 per cent from the same period a year earlier, when it expanded 0.9 per cent, according to official data released on Saturday. The economy had contracted 0.5 per cent in the first three months of 2017.

Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is leading the push to transform the biggest Arab economy at a time when crude prices are at about half their 2014 peak. But as authorities seek to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on oil, they’re also leading efforts among Opec members and some other major producers to bolster prices by cutting output. The kingdom’s oil GDP shrank 1.8 per cent in the second quarter, weighing on overall activity.

The data also showed how non-oil industries are still struggling with efforts to overhaul the economy and shore up public finances. The non-oil GDP, the main engine of job creation, expanded below 1 per cent, driven mainly by the government sector, the data show.

“What we’re seeing is stagnation in non-oil activity,” said Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. “Second-quarter data show still very lacklustre demand” even after the government reversed a decision to cut or freeze bonuses and allowances for state employees, she said.

The kingdom’s Tadawul All Share Index retreated the most in the Middle East, falling 0.8 per cent at 10:45am in Riyadh.

A Bloomberg survey conducted before Saturday’s release show economists expect growth to grind to a halt this year, compared with a growth forecast of 0.5 per cent in the previous poll.