Energy Iran’s oil exports hit 5-year high despite US sanctions Iran’s crude exports and oil output have hit new highs in 2023 despite US sanctions, according to consultants, shipping data and a source familiar with the matter, adding to global supply when other producers are limiting output. Tehran’s oil exports have been limited since former US president Donald Trump in 2018 exited a 2015 nuclear […] June 18, 2023
Banking and Finance Turkey’s central bank likely to hike policy rate to 20% Turkey’s central bank is expected to raise its policy rate by a huge 1,150 basis points next week, from 8.5 percent to 20 percent, a Reuters poll showed, in a policy U-turn after rate cuts under President Tayyip Erdogan led to a cost-of-living crisis. The central bank slashed its policy rate from 19 percent in […] June 18, 2023
Retail Uber to exit food delivery business in Israel Uber said on Thursday it will shut its food delivery business in Italy and exit Israel, where it has not built sufficient market share. The moves were “in line with our efforts to focus on markets where we have opportunities for sustainable growth,” a company spokesperson said. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has said Uber will invest […] June 16, 2023
Business of Sport Manchester United and Qatari sheikh near $6bn deal English football club Manchester United is negotiating granting exclusivity to the consortium led by Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani in talks to sell itself for more than $6 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. While a deal remains uncertain, the development represents a major milestone in the efforts of Sheikh […] June 16, 2023
Oil & Gas Kuwait’s Al Zour issues low-sulphur fuel oil sales tender Kuwait’s Al Zour refinery has issued a term tender for fuel oil sales for July to December loading, trade sources said on Thursday, while it continues to ramp up its third crude distillation unit (CDU). Al Zour’s low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) tenders are closely watched by market participants. The refinery is set to be a […] June 16, 2023
Banking and Finance US Fed pauses rate hikes but sees borrowing costs to rise The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but signalled in new projections that borrowing costs may still need to rise by as much as half of a percentage point by the end of this year, as the US central bank reacted to a stronger-than-expected economy and a slower decline in inflation. In […] June 15, 2023
Banking and Finance Erdogan sticks to ‘low inflation, low rate’ policy Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his newly appointed finance minister Mehmet Simsek will take unspecified steps swiftly with the central bank, but that it was a mistake to suggest Erdogan had changed his own views on interest rates. Since winning re-election last month, Erdogan, a self-proclaimed “enemy” of interest rates, has appointed Simsek as well […] June 15, 2023
Banking and Finance Egypt signals no immediate plans for pound devaluation Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi appeared to rule out a further currency devaluation anytime soon in remarks made to a youth conference on Wednesday, saying such a move could harm national security and hurt Egyptian citizens. Egypt has devalued the Egyptian pound by about 50 percent against the dollar since February 2022, when Russia’s […] June 15, 2023
Sustainability Saudi companies buy carbon credits in Kenya auction Companies from Saudi Arabia bought more than 2.2 million tonnes of carbon credits on Wednesday as the Kenyan capital hosted what organisers have billed as the world’s largest sale of its kind. Demand for carbon offsets, generated through projects such as tree planting or using cleaner cooking fuel, is expected to grow as companies seek […] June 15, 2023
Banking and Finance Qatari fund in talks to invest in Egypt’s historic hotels Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is in talks with Egypt about potentially investing in seven historic hotels there, in what could be a landmark deal between the two countries that restored diplomatic ties in 2021 after a long-running dispute. The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is in talks with The Sovereign Wealth Fund of Egypt (TSFE) about […] June 15, 2023
Banking and Finance Dubai firm to invest $200m in Colombia emerald mine Dubai-based miner Fura Gems will invest $200 million in its Colombia emerald mine over the next five years, an executive said on Wednesday. The company is holding its fourth auction of uncut emeralds from its Coscuez mine in central Boyaca province this week in Bogota. Fura predicts the auction, which will move to Bangkok later […] June 15, 2023
Energy Opec+ grants Russia higher production baseline Opec+ has granted Russia a slightly higher oil production baseline after the country agreed to work with several think-tanks and agencies to review its output figures, Opec+ said. Oil production baselines are used by Opec to determine levels from which production cuts are made. Russia has made its production figures classified since the West imposed […] June 14, 2023
Manufacturing Tesla hikes Model Y prices for third time since April Tesla Inc has slightly increased the price of its Model Y electric vehicle in the United States, according to its website. The company increased the price of the variant by a mere $250, bringing it to $47,740, the website showed, while prices for the other variants remained unchanged in the US. This is the third […] June 14, 2023
Aviation Kuwait to buy drones worth $367m from Turkey Kuwait has concluded a contract worth $367 million with Turkish defence firm Baykar to buy its TB2 drones through direct negotiations between the two governments, the Kuwaiti army said. A statement did not reveal how many drones would be delivered to Kuwait or when. International demand for Baykar’s TB2 drones soared after they featured in […] June 14, 2023
Economy Analysts forecast bumper rate hikes in Turkey Analysts at leading investment banks expect Turkey’s new economic chiefs to start ramping up interest rates next week as part of a major reset of the country’s economic policies. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, re-elected last month, has just appointed former US banker Hafize Gaye Erkan as the new central bank governor. She is his fifth […] June 14, 2023
Banking and Finance Egypt invites banks to pitch for AlexBank stake sale Egypt’s ministry of finance has invited banks to pitch for an advisory position on the sale of its 20 percent stake in Bank of Alexandria, a subsidiary of Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo, two sources familiar with the matter said. The invitation went to local and international banks, said the sources, declining to be identified as the […] June 14, 2023
Energy Iraqi Kurdish losses reach $2bn amid oil export halt Iraq and Turkey are set to begin technical talks by early next week on resuming the former’s northern oil exports, but hopes for a quick resolution are slim, two sources told Reuters. Turkey halted Iraq’s 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of exports through a crude oil pipeline from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq […] June 14, 2023
Oil & Gas China’s Unipec sale of Oman crude caps prices China’s Unipec, the trading arm of top Asian refiner Sinopec, has emerged as a major seller of August-loading Oman crude this month, a move that has helped to cap benchmark prices despite Saudi Arabia’s plans to cut output next month. Unipec, according to trade sources and data collated by Reuters, has sold eight million barrels […] June 13, 2023
Tech Israeli investment in country’s tech sector down Israeli institutions invested $512 million in the country’s tech sector in 2022, down from $1.12 billion in 2021, a published reported showed, citing a weaker global economy and higher interest rates. Nearly half, $252 million, was made in the first half of the year when market sentiment was still bullish, according to the joint report […] June 13, 2023
Economy Turkey’s economic U-turn is not enough to rebuild trust Turkey’s expected return to orthodox economic policies may not be enough to secure longer-lasting international investments, with a restoration of predictability and the rule of law still needed to build trust, analysts say. While higher interest rates should draw some foreign investors back to Turkish assets, analysts say only fundamental changes in legal compliance will […] June 13, 2023
Oil & Gas Aramco to supply full oil volumes to 5 Asian refiners Saudi Aramco has told at least five customers in north Asia they will receive full nominated volumes of crude oil in July, several sources with knowledge of the matter said on Monday, after it pledged to cut production next month. Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, vowed to reduce its production to nine million […] June 12, 2023
Business of Sport Latest ‘deadline’ looms in Manchester United takeover Manchester United fans can be forgiven if they refrain from eagerly checking the news on Friday as the latest ‘deadline’ looms in the meandering seven-month saga of the club’s sale that is beginning to resemble the final series of TV’s Succession. In this real-life battle of the billionaires, Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani […] June 12, 2023
