Saudi Arabia’s consumer spending rises 3.5% as hotels, recreation see gains

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s consumer spending rose 3.5 percent to SR13.37 billion ($3.57 billion) in the week ending Sept. 26, with hotels, recreation and furniture among the sectors recording the strongest gains, official data showed. The number of point-of-sale transactions during the monitored week rose 1 percent to 243.59 million, according to the Saudi Central Bank. Education spending fell 51.5 percent week on week to SR87.56 million, and the number of education-related transactions dropped 3