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Thursday, 5 December 2019

Is the Saudi Aramco IPO actually a wise choice for investors?

Is the Saudi Aramco IPO, touted for years as the biggest of all time, actually a wise choice for investors? This Wall Street Journal video (watch, runtime 07:44) concludes that long-term uncertainty around the company’s future growth makes it a risky proposition, in spite of its current profitability. Aramco’s reliance on a single source of income puts it in a vulnerable position at a time when oil markets are weak. While the Saudi government is seeking to diversify its economy away from oil, Aramco itself is bucking the trend of investing in renewables, and has acknowledged in its prospectus that it faces significant threats to its business model, including climate change and terrorist attacks. International investors seemingly agree with the WSJ’s conclusions, having voiced concerns about the degree of state involvement in the company, and its environmental and social governance.

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