Why I Love To Blog -- Reason #265 -- August 19, 2020

This has been a common theme on the blog: Saudi is in deep trouble.

The first domino?  

From Bloomberg:

Kuwait has 2 billion dinars ($6.6 billion) worth of liquidity in its Treasury and not enough cash to cover state salaries beyond October, Finance Minister Barak Al-Sheetan warned parliament, as political wrangling again delayed efforts to return to international bond markets. 

The government is withdrawing from its General Reserve Fund at a rate of 1.7 billion dinars a month, meaning liquidity will soon be depleted if oil prices don’t improve and if Kuwait can’t borrow from local and international markets. 

As energy-rich Gulf states see their finances hammered by the collapse in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, the remarks point to a dramatic reversal of fortunes for some of the world’s wealthiest nations. Managing the crisis has proven especially challenging for Kuwait, where all laws must be approved by lawmakers who accuse the government of mismanaging public money and are blocking legislation that would allow it to borrow abroad.

I don't know enough about either of the countries, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, to compare, but this certainly seems to be a red flag. The current price of oil -- in the mid-$40's is less than half what Saudi needs to balance their budget.