Public listing preparations of state-run Saudi Aramco have stalled, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Aramco has been expanding its global footprint by signing downstream deals and boosting the capacity of its plants ahead of the eagerly awaited initial public offering. The company's public listing is a part of Saudi Arabia's plan to open its economy, but a senior Aramco executive said, "everyone is almost certain it (IPO) is not going to happen". Saudi Arabian officials say they have determined that listing on a large stock exchange in New York, London or Hong Kong would carry too many legal risks, the newspaper wrote, adding that officials have also soured on a backup plan of listing only a tiny part of the company on the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul.