Editor's insight Economy Balancing the Saudi books to improve growth The sixth line of the Riyadh metro has now opened – a considerable achievement executed at unprecedented speed, according to architects and engineers interviewed by Valentina Pasquali. But the IMF is predicting growth in the Saudi economy ... Register now: It’s easy and free This content is available for registered members only. Register for your free account […] January 13, 2025
EDITOR'S INSIGHT Transport Riyadh Metro could get Saudis to quit their cars OK. So it did not go entirely as advertised. The first phase of the Riyadh Metro was due to open on Wednesday; instead the system has been inaugurated and operation of three of the six lines – Blue, Yellow and Violet – officially starts on December ... November 28, 2024
EDITOR'S INSIGHT Oil & Gas Nobody likes methane seepage. Especially Europe Liquefied natural gas has always had a heroic reputation in the energy world. Heroic engineering, heroic logistics and heroic expense, yes – but a heroic outcome: clean (or not-so-dirty) energy and a seat with the good guys at the high tab... November 21, 2024
Editor's Insight Oil & Gas China’s plans affect the future of oil Aramco is betting on China to boost a well-supplied crude market and – here’s hoping in Riyadh – enable Saudi Arabia to unwind production cuts. Amin Nasser, the Saudi state oil giant’s CEO, said last week that he expects demand from China to... November 8, 2024
Editor's Insight Oil & Gas Iran’s mission to make the most of oil wealth Despite some predictable vapouring from hardliners, the Islamic regime in Tehran will mainly be heaving a sigh of relief that Israel did not attack Iran’s oil infrastructure. The IAF avoided the main oil terminal at Kharg Island in the north of ... November 1, 2024
Editor's Insight Economy Labour would do well to heed the Gulf There is still another week to go before UK chancellor Rachel Reeves’s first Budget. The long-awaited statement should set the direction and priorities for the new Labour government over the next four years. And, for Gulf investors and many others, ... October 25, 2024
Finance HSBC to fold Middle East operations into Hong Kong HSBC Holdings announced on Tuesday that the group’s operations in the Middle East and Turkey will be folded into a unit headquartered in Hong Kong from the beginning of next year. Stephen Moss, who has been based in Dubai as chief executive of the giant bank’s Middle East operations since April 2021, is leaving at […] October 22, 2024
Editor's Insight Transport Trains, planes and more trains (or metros) Is it finally happening? It was conceived back in 2013 and was supposed to take four years to build but the Riyadh metro looks like it is about to open. To the hard-pressed inhabitants of the Saudi capital, that can only be a good thing. Altern... October 18, 2024
Oil & Gas Opec cuts forecast for oil demand growth Lacklustre growth in the Chinese economy has caused Opec to trim its bullish forecast for growth in international oil demand this year. The oil producers’ group said on Tuesday that it was cutting its expectation for growth in demand by the world economy by 6 percent, or 135,000 barrels per day (bpd), to 2.1 million […] August 13, 2024
Oil & Gas BP CEO signs non-binding deal to return to Iraqi oilfield BP, the London-listed oil major, has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi government to return to the super-giant Kirkuk oilfield in the north of the country. The agreement includes the Baba and Avanah domes and three adjacent fields – Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz – which are operated by the government of […] August 2, 2024
ANALYSIS Industry Made in Morocco – industrial giants just keep on investing Rabat's deals with manufacturers from the US, Europe and Asia provide a model of co-operation for the Arab world July 30, 2024
Analysis Economy Pezeshkian has a strong mandate – and a slew of problems It was not supposed to be this way. Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole reformist candidate, has won the second round of Iranian presidential elections to replace Ebrahim Raisi, and the fears of conservatives in the Iranian regime have come to pass. Conventionally, conservative candidates withdraw at the last minute ahead of a first round of voting, […] July 9, 2024
Analysis Economy 642 million votes counted … now India can get back to business Narendra Modi has claimed victory in India’s election – and many in the Gulf will be delighted at the prospect of a third Modi term. The prime minister’s pro-business credentials and economically liberalising tendencies remain credible, if battered, after 10 years in office. His Bharatiya Janata Party did not perform as well as expected, however, […] June 5, 2024
Analysis Trade Diplomacy and trade to fore as China woos GCC leaders It’s quite a coup. Hu Jintao (still with us) must be feeling vindicated. The heads of four Arab states are in Beijing to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which Hu founded in 2004 to bring together China and the Arab League. Xi Jinping, Hu’s successor as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), will […] May 28, 2024
Opinion Finance A Labour government should not frighten the horses The UK general election is likely to mean changes, but Gulf citizens need not be too worried May 27, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas As Iran mourns, questions about its oil remain The next president will have to deal with economic woes and rumblings from Washington May 22, 2024
Oil & Gas BP and Equinor divert tankers from Red Sea Two European oil and gas companies, BP of the UK and Equinor of Norway, have joined a group of shipping lines that are diverting their tankers away from the Red Sea, following missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants. BP said in a statement: “The safety and security of our people and those working […] December 19, 2023
Logistics Jet fuel most exposed to Red Sea closure, analysts say Trade analysts warned on Monday that jet fuel is the commodity most exposed to an interruption of trade in the Red Sea, as the world’s main shipping companies said that they would avoid the waterway because of missile and drone attacks. Several container shipping lines, including CMA CGM of France, MSC of Switzerland and A.P. […] December 18, 2023
Saudi schools ‘doing better at maths but still lagging behind’ Saudi Arabia’s schools have improved in the past few years, but are still below the international average and a long way behind the best performers, according to the OECD. Teenagers from 81 countries were tested for the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which published its 2022 report on Tuesday. The tests measured the […] December 5, 2023
Media & Advertising UK regulator likely to review Telegraph bid Lucy Frazer, UK secretary of state for culture media and sport, has written to an Abu Dhabi-backed consortium warning that that she is likely to subject its bid for a leading British newspaper group to a public interest test. RedBird IMI, led by Jeff Zucker, a former president of CNN, has submitted a bid for […] November 23, 2023
Video length: 06:16 Banking & Finance UAE set to come off financial crime watchdog’s grey list The UAE is poised to come off the so-called grey list, a category that means financial institutions must conduct more research on individuals and companies based in the country to combat money laundering. The Financial Action Task Force, an international watchdog that monitors compliance with rules on anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of […] October 30, 2023
Banking & Finance Saudi Arabia set for FDI top 20 after Misa revises measures Saudi Arabia has reworked its methods of measuring foreign direct investment and will publish updated data in the middle of next month that will show the kingdom among the top 20 recipients globally, according to a senior official. Historically, the central bank, still widely known as Sama, published the FDI data using statistical modelling techniques. […] October 27, 2023