Analysis Banking and Finance US treasuries: why it’s buy, buy, buy for the UAE as Saudi sells Saudi Arabia and the UAE are following divergent investment strategies around US government bonds, which have long been a safe haven for sovereign and institutional investors worldwide. The two countries are among the world’s top 20 biggest holders of the bonds, with a combined value of almost $250 billion. The UAE acquired almost $43 billion […] May 9, 2025
Analysis Economy Oil price fall poses spending dilemma for Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has various assets it could sell as the drop in oil prices pushes up the country’s 2025 budget deficit, economists have said. The country could also opt to plug the gap by issuing more debt or altering its spending plans. Saudi Arabia’s debt-to-GDP ratio is only 29 percent, according to S&P Global Ratings, […] May 5, 2025
Markets PIF’s US portfolio weathers ‘Liberation Day’ storm It has been a month since President Trump’s “Liberation Day” and a near tripling in US tariffs on imports to their highest in more than a century, after which global financial markets plunged. Overall, however, Saudi Arabia’s $940 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) has not come out of it too badly. So far, anyway. On […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Markets Local investors show strong interest in Oman bond issue A lack of alternative investment choices has helped to swell domestic demand for Omani sovereign bonds, with the sultanate’s latest issuance significantly oversubscribed. Oman issued OR100 million of bonds on Thursday, the second of 10 rial-denominated bond and sukuk sales planned for 2025. These will range from OR50 million to OR100 million and will total […] May 1, 2025
Economy Rising gas exports to boost Gulf economies, says IMF Increased natural gas production in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Oman will boost their economic growth in the medium term, the International Monetary Fund has predicted. Qatar, the world’s third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is due to nearly double its annual output to 142 million tonnes by 2030. Saudi Aramco said in March […] May 1, 2025
Analysis Markets Dollar slump impacts foreign Gulf stock investors The dollar’s descent to multi-year lows against other major currencies presents a dilemma for foreign investors in Gulf stocks. Regional currencies are pegged to the US currency, aside from the Kuwaiti dinar which tracks a basket of currencies that is heavily dollar weighted. So, a lower dollar makes buying Gulf stocks cheaper for investors from […] April 29, 2025
Analysis Markets Market volatility adds allure to utilities and telecoms In a month of wild market swings, Gulf equity investors have felt panic, trepidation, bewilderment and more. With further volatility probable, experts say a prudent strategy is to focus on defensive sectors less exposed to the global economy. Gulf bourses tumbled in early April, along with the US dollar and oil prices, after President Donald […] April 28, 2025
Analysis Economy Ratings agency moves Bahrain outlook to negative A major ratings agency has downgraded its outlook on Bahrain to negative, warning that fiscal reforms may be insufficient to lower the kingdom’s debt-to-GDP ratio and that foreign currency reserves remain weak. Lower oil prices and reduced crude production due to maintenance work at Bahrain’s Abu Safah oil field, which it shares with Saudi Arabia, […] April 24, 2025
Analysis Economy What a plunging dollar means to Gulf imports and inflation The dollar’s slump to multiyear lows against many major currencies risks raising import costs in the dollar-pegged Gulf economies, fuelling inflation and pressuring business profitability, analysts say. From mid-January, the dollar is down 11 percent against each of the euro (to its lowest in more than three years), the Japanese yen (its lowest since late 2023), […] April 24, 2025
Analysis Markets Saudi government debt insurance costs jump as oil prices fall The cost of insuring government debt in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) has jumped this month, in some cases – including Saudi Arabia – to multi-year highs. Investors are fretting over the impact of global trade tensions on economic growth and international oil prices, and the risk of Israeli-US military action against Iran. […] April 23, 2025
Banking and Finance Fractional sukuk platform launched by UAE bank Sukuk investing in the Gulf has long been the preserve of institutional and wealthy investors because of a six-figure minimum investment threshold, effectively excluding ordinary people from buying sharia-compliant bonds directly. Now though, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has launched an investment platform, Smart Sukuk, on which retail investors can buy so-called fractional sukuk for […] April 22, 2025
Markets Population burst bolsters Dubai’s listed companies Listed companies in Dubai were on average the most profitable last year among the Gulf exchanges as the emirate’s banking, real estate and telecom sectors benefited from its expanding population. Net profit at Dubai’s listed companies totalled $25.4 billion, up 16 percent compared with the year before, according to a report by Kuwaiti asset manager […] April 21, 2025
Banking and Finance GCC banks unlikely to escape US tariff impact US President Donald Trump’s imposition of additional import tariffs will trouble GCC banks, despite the bloc’s meagre non-oil exports to the United States, according to analysts. Trump’s tariff strategy, targeted principally at China but worldwide in scope, has roiled global equity markets, sent the dollar tumbling and exacerbated oil price declines. As such, “the indirect […] April 18, 2025
Markets Foreign investors cut Gulf stocks even before Trump-led turmoil In the build up to the biggest global stock market rout since at least the Covid-19 pandemic this month, foreigners were net sellers of more than $400 million of Saudi Arabian equities in March. This was the first net monthly outflow of the year and the biggest since April last year, as disappointing earnings made […] April 15, 2025
Banking and Finance Qatar National Bank Q1 profit spurs share recovery Qatar National Bank (QNB), the Middle East and Africa’s largest bank by assets, reported a slight increase in first-quarter net profit on higher net interest income which helped offset its domestic tax bill. Government-run QNB made a net profit of QAR4.26 billion ($1.17 billion) in the three months to March 31, up 2.8 percent versus […] April 10, 2025
Banking and Finance HSBC dominates as Mena investment banking fees soar Investment banking fee revenue in the Middle East and North Africa soared during the first quarter thanks to record debt arrangements, increased mergers and acquisitions and more initial public offerings. The industry’s regional earnings underline the growing importance of the Mena region to international banks, although the revenue from fees remains a fraction of those […] April 9, 2025
Analysis Real Estate Shortage of Dubai homes forces buyers to go off-plan A shortage of completed homes for sale in Dubai is pushing people to buy off-plan properties, which have hit record highs in terms of units bought and as a proportion of purchases. Off-plan investors in the emirate have long had to fund their own purchases, but the growing importance of yet-to-be-completed properties may spur more […] April 9, 2025
Markets Oil price drop leads Gulf’s government bonds to fall Dollar-denominated sovereign bonds of Middle East and North African countries slid on Monday as President Donald Trump took effective US tariff rates to their highest in more than a century, causing steep declines in global stock markets and a flight to safety in US government debt. Saudi Arabia’s stock index tumbled to a 17-month low […] April 7, 2025
Markets Gulf stocks slide as investors fret over US tariffs Dubai’s stock index tumbled on Thursday, poised for its biggest daily decline this year, and other Gulf bourses slid after US president Donald Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs on importers. Losers outnumbered gainers 34 to 10 on Dubai’s benchmark, which was down as much as 2 percent in early trade, mirroring declines on Asian bourses as […] April 3, 2025
Economy US treasuries could become less of a safe bet for Gulf investors Economic advisers to President Donald Trump have proposed radical policies that could dim the allure of US government bonds for Gulf sovereign investors. The bonds, commonly known as treasuries, are considered among the lowest-risk investments. Many countries with excess dollars – from trade surpluses with the US or the sale of dollar-denominated goods such as […] April 2, 2025
Analysis Telecoms UAE-run Maroc Telecom ends dispute with rival operator Inwi UAE-controlled Maroc Telecom and Inwi, a domestic rival owned by Morocco’s royal family, have settled a long-running dispute and agreed to launch two joint ventures to expand and upgrade the kingdom’s telecom networks. The surprise détente is a significant breakthrough for Maroc Telecom, which has succeeded in reducing the compensation it owed Inwi and fixes […] April 1, 2025
Analysis Markets Saudi bourse less affected by Ramadan than in previous years Trading on Saudi Arabia’s bourse has changed little this Ramadan as the growing influence of institutional and professional traders offsets the impact of a decline in retail investor activity. Historically, Gulf nationals have been the dominant force on the region’s stock markets. Individuals often meet at the bourses to trade and socialise. Such habits would […] March 31, 2025
