Chilled by Khashoggi Death, Saudi Summit Ends With Few Deals - Bloomberg

Chilled by Khashoggi Death, Saudi Summit Ends With Few Deals - Bloomberg:

The international outcry over the murder of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi turned Saudi Arabia’s star turn on the world’s business stage into a sedate, mostly regional, affair.

Missing from the second edition of the Future Investment Initiative were global captains of industry, eye-popping contracts and even the inveterate optimism that dealmakers bring to such events. The $50 billion of signed agreements compares to more than half a trillion worth in 2017. 

For the foreign investors who did show, the Khashoggi crisis cast a long shadow -- not just over the gathering but about doing business in the region’s biggest economy. The buzz in Riyadh wasn’t about futuristic cities, robots and money-making opportunities but about how 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would address the matter. Investors and Saudi officials talked about a "hideous crime," a "regrettable and abhorrent act."