Saudi Arabia "Hopium" and "Beheadium" Spin: The Sun Will Never Set On The Oil Kingdom Empire.

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

Still trotting out that overhyped $4 trillion valuation for the Saudi Aramco IPO valuation that perpetually never happens. 

"Hopium" is perhaps the correct term for this Aramco IPO, and the MBS dream to rule the OPEC Middle East, squash rival Iran, and behead dissenters.

On the other hand, from MBS point of view, 3 out of 4 ain't bad ... only the Saudi Aramco IPO seems unlikely.  The other 3 MBS dreams are already actually happening:

1. Rule the OPEC Middle East

2. Squash rival Iran

3. Behead dissenters

"MBS is increasingly resorting to draconian measures such as beheadings to crush even modest acts of political dissent, with 104 executions of Saudi nationals as of April 24 of this year, compared to 149 in all of 2018."

 

So while writing my comment this morning, I was mulling over new words to describe the weird combination of Saudi aspirations to rule the Middle East and MBS ramping up of beheadings.

"Beheadium" doesn't exactly rhyme with "Hopium" but in Saudi Arabia, the two words seem to go hand in hand. (Assuming one of the hands hasn't been chopped off in Saudi's "Chop Chop Square".)

 

The Saudi Oil Kingdom Enters A New Era

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s largely self-inflicted losing streak appears to have come to an end, and just in the nick of time, with arch-nemesis Iran in the process of consolidating its Shiite sphere of influence to the north of the kingdom and instability growing throughout the Middle East.

The Trump administration’s ‘no waiver’ sanctions on Iran’s crude and condensate exports, subsequent sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s steel, iron, copper and aluminum exports, and its sending of a carrier strike group and bomber task force to the region have again shown America’s unwavering support for Saudi Arabia.

... Higher-than-anticipated oil revenues and the monetization of Saudi Aramco, whether through the sale of equity or debt, have the potential to cover a large proportion of the cost of MBS’s Vision 2030, which McKinsey Global Institute has pegged at US$4 trillion.

To conclude, the losing streak of MBS and Saudi Arabia has come to an end in spectacular fashion in recent weeks, making it much more likely Mohammed will accede to the throne and have a long and prosperous reign.

 

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

Why anybody wants to have any truck with any of these guys is beyond me. Chopping people up with swords is just revolting. 

Spend the extra bucks and buy your oil from Alberta, at least that way you keep your self-respect. 

[Okie + 83]

How long before Saudi Arabia comes down with Dutch Disease?

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dutchdisease.asp