Saudi Arabia is likely targeting oil prices at $80 a barrel to boost the valuation of its oil giant Aramco ahead of its much-hyped IPO and to help finance increasingly ambitious domestic policy plans, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people who have spoken to Saudi officials. Although Saudi officials have been careful not to point to a specific oil price target in private discussions over the past month, “the inescapable conclusion from the conversations was that Riyadh is aiming for $80,” according to the people who spoke to Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity. A couple of months ago, Saudi Arabia was reportedly targeting oil at $70 , but that was before Riyadh admitted that Aramco’s initial public offering could take place in 2019, instead of in the second half of 2018, as it has been planned for years. In an interview with Time magazine last week, Saudi Crown […]