| Net foreign assets at Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) declined 3.1 percent in December from the previous month to SR2.283 trillion ($609 billion), the central bank announced. Assets dropped 15.9 percent from a year earlier to their lowest level since August 2012. They reached a record high of $737 billion in August 2014 before starting to shrink.
The central bank, which acts as Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has been drawing down its assets to cover a huge state budget deficit caused by a plunge in oil prices. The bulk of foreign assets are believed to be denominated in US dollars...............................................Full Article: Source
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