Eurobond premium required for fiscal slippage risk We expect large and regular sovereign eurobond issuance going forward to support FX reserves and domestic liquidity but weigh on regional bond spreads if risk appetite does not hold up or fiscal slips. EMBIG index inclusion is unlikely, in our view. Saudi Arabia CDS premium to Qatar and likely larger issuance size suggests Saudi External Debt (EXD) is likely to be issued at a premium to Qatar. Saudi Arabia international bond issuance latest in wave of Gulf supply Local press suggests that Saudi Arabia is gearing up for a large international bond issuance program (US$10-15bn issuance target this year), which, if confirmed (the government neither confirmed nor denied , should add to the sizeable sovereign bond supply pipeline this year. So far, we have seen USS$17.1bn in gross and net supply from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Assuming Saudi Arabia issues US$15bn and accounting for planned issuance from Dubai and Bahrain and excluding Kuwait, the rest of this year should see a further US$16.5bn in gross issuance and US$16.1bn in net issuance. This would bring the total gross and net GCC sovereign bond issuance to US$33.6bn and US$33.2bn this year respectively. Seminal potential bond issuance has multi-pronged implications If confirmed, this could be a seminal event and mark the first time for the Saudi government to issue external bonds. It would allow for participation of foreign investors as domestic debt is being sold to Saudi banks and funds. External issuance should diversify funding sources, lock in still low interest rates, support SAMA's Fx reserves and support domestic liquidity; the latter two macro variables have weakened this year. External issuance would also imply the presence of an underlying asset that could theoretically trigger CDS contracts, as opposed to the current situation. Investment grade status to be retained despite likely further rating cuts A prolonged oil price downturn is