Saudi Arabia

Saudi Economy Rockets: IMF Ups Forecast, 5% GDP Growth on the Table – and a Nobel Laureate Boosts Innovation

IMF Forecast and Growth Outlook Saudi Arabia’s outlook brightened this week after the IMF lifted its 2025 GDP forecast to 4.0% reuters.com. Reuters notes this upgrade is driven by faster-than-expected unwinding of OPEC+ oil cuts and rebounding output reuters.com. IMF Middle East director Jihad Azour has warned that oil price recoveries significantly improve the Kingdom’s finances – each additional 1 million barrels/day adds ~3.2% of GDP to the fiscal balance worldoil.com. In practical terms, breakeven oil prices remain high (around $94/bbl excluding extra spending) worldoil.com, so the recent rise of Brent back toward ~$70 supports the budget. Finance Minister Mohammed

29 October 2025

Lucid Group (LCID) October 7 2025 Stock Analysis: Gravity SUV Lifts Deliveries to Record High – Will Expiring Tax Credits Stall the Momentum?

Lucid Motors (LCID) Stock Soars on Record EV Deliveries and Saudi Backing – Analysts Split on 2026 Outlook

The Road Ahead for Lucid (Q4 2025 – 2026) Looking forward, Lucid’s Q4 execution and 2026 outlook will be critical. The company must prove it can convert its growing order book – including the Saudi government fleet orders and Uber robotaxi deal – into scalable production without draining its ~$4–5 billion cash reserve. Interim CEO Winterhoff has emphasized “aggressively reducing costs” and improving manufacturing efficiency wardsauto.com, as Lucid aims for profitability in the coming years. Achieving the low end of its 18k delivery guidance this year will require more than 8,000 vehicles in Q4, over double any prior quarter’s output ts2.tech

28 October 2025

Analyst Opinions · Electric Vehicles · Lucid Motors · Market News · NASDAQ:LCID · NYSE:UBER · Stocks

Co-Diagnostics (CODX) Stock Triples on Saudi JV Deal – Analysts See More Upside Ahead

Shares Triple on Saudi JV News Co-Diagnostics stock exploded higher on Monday, triggered by an unexpected international deal. The small-cap diagnostics firm’s shares opened around $0.59 and skyrocketed, at one point up 133% by mid-morning ts2.tech. The rally accelerated throughout the day – by late morning CODX was +148% and still climbing amid wave after wave of retail buying ts2.tech. The stock ultimately closed at $1.07, up 206% in a single session ts2.tech. For context, CODX had ended the prior trading day around $0.35 and had been languishing at depressed levels after a year-long decline ts2.tech. Such a sudden threefold

28 October 2025

NASDAQ:CODX

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) – $50 Billion Buyout Buzz Sends Stock Soaring (Sept 2025)

Gamers Stunned: Saudi-Backed Consortium Snaps Up EA in Record $55B Deal

Key Facts: A consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), with private equity firm Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, will take Electronic Arts (EA) private in an all-cash transaction valuing the company at roughly $55 billion. EA shareholders get $210 per share – about a 25% premium to the pre-announcement stock price apnews.com ir.ea.com. Including debt, it is the largest leveraged buyout of a public tech company on record (well above the prior $32B Texas utilities deal) apnews.com reuters.com. The deal was approved by EA’s board and is expected to close in Q1 FY2027, pending regulatory

29 September 2025

Business · Esports · Gaming News · Industry Analysis · Mergers & Acquisitions · NASDAQ:EA · Stock Market

Saudi Arabia’s Drone Laws in 2025: Strict Rules, New Updates & How They Compare Globally

Drones are legal in Saudi Arabia but are strictly regulated, with both recreational and commercial use requiring adherence to GACA regulations. Drones weighing 250 grams or more must be registered with GACA, with a certificate valid for 3 years and a unique registration ID affixed to the drone. All drone pilots must hold a GACA Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC) under GACAR Part 61, with a minimum age of 18, English proficiency, medical fitness, and passing an Aeronautical Knowledge Test. The maximum allowable altitude for drones is 120 meters above ground level, unless explicit authorization from GACA allows higher flight. Drones

24 July 2025

2025 Updates · Drone Laws · Global Comparison · Saudi Arabia · Technology Policy

Saudi Arabia’s $90 B Satellite Power Play: How ST Engineering iDirect and Solutions by stc Are Turbo‑Charging the Kingdom’s Digital Future

The agreement was inked on 20 June 2025 and publicly confirmed between ST Engineering iDirect and Solutions by stc to expand a next-generation ground network for government broadband, 5G backhaul, and mobility services across Saudi Arabia. The deal is timed to support Vision 2030 and aims to secure sovereign, multi-orbit satcom capacity to underpin a digital-economy valued at SR 495 billion (about US$131.9 billion) today and US$90 billion in incremental ICT value by 2030. The scope includes expansion of ST Engineering iDirect hubs, line cards, and software-upgradable modems across multiple Saudi teleports, supporting fixed VSAT, mobility, and cellular backhaul. The

21 June 2025

Digital Transformation · Future Technology · Satellite Industry · Saudi Arabia · ST Engineering

Saudi Arabia’s High-Speed Internet Revolution: Fiber Booms, 5G Soars, and Satellites Race to Connect the Kingdom

Saudi Telecom Company (stc) accounted for about 67% of Saudi Arabia’s telecom market by revenue in Q3 2022, and held roughly 50–55% of mobile subscribers, with Mobily at 20–25% and Zain at 10–15%. The Saudi Open Access agreement in 2020 allows all six major network operators—stc, Mobily, Zain, Salam, Dawiyat, and GO Telecom—to share towers and fiber networks to boost coverage. By 2022, internet penetration reached about 98–99% of the population, and around 3.7 million households had access to high-speed fiber. Fiber broadband accounted for about 64% of fixed subscriptions by the end of 2023, signaling a fiber-led broadband transition.

11 March 2025

5G · Fiber · High-Speed Internet · Satellites · Saudi Arabia