What to look out for in Saudi Arabia’s 2018 budget

The recent rise in oil prices has raised some hopes that Saudi Arabia’s 2018 budget – to be announced next week – will unveil a shift towards looser fiscal policy to support the economy. However, we think those hopes are likely to be dashed and policy will continue to be tightened, albeit by much less than in recent years. As a result, we expect the economic recovery to be weaker than most anticipate in 2018.