Saudi consumer spending held steady at $4.2 billion in latest week

Saudi Arabia's consumer spending held steady at SR15.8 billion ($4.2 billion) during the week ending September 5, according to official data from the Saudi Central Bank. Total point-of-sale transactions increased slightly by 0.2 percent compared to the prior week, while the total count of transactions rose 4.8 percent to 267.75 million. Education-related transactions fell significantly by 31 percent to SR755.97 million after climbing above SR1 billion last week due to back-to-school activity. Spending on food and beverages showed growth, increasing weekly by 3.9 percent to SR2.69 billion. Economist Talat Hafiz noted that the stability indicates consumer demand is becoming broader and more resilient rather than relying on seasonal spikes. He pointed to solid household spending capacity as low inflation and strong employment support conditions persist.