Analysis Markets Dollar upbeat ahead of Trump’s White House return Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory has extended a dollar rally that began in late September on expectations that the real estate mogul’s return to the White House may ultimately force the Federal Reserve to resume interest rate rises. Five of the six GCC countries peg their currencies to the dollar, while the sixth – […] November 7, 2024
Markets China to sell dollar bonds in Saudi Arabia China will sell dollar bonds in Saudi Arabia this month, its first debt issuance denominated in the US currency since October 2021. The imminent issuance marks a further deepening of ties between Opec’s top oil producer and the world’s largest economy by purchasing power parity. China is Saudi Arabia’s most important trade partner, buying 16 […] November 6, 2024
Oil & Gas Oil prices fall as Trump wins US election Oil prices fell on Wednesday as the US dollar rallied on Donald Trump’s election as president. Investors believe a Trump presidency will bolster the dollar as interest rates may need to remain high to combat inflation resulting from any new tariffs and polices that may further pressure China’s economy, weakening demand there. Brent crude oil futures were down […] November 6, 2024
Analysis Markets Volkswagen’s troubles sour Qatari investment Qatar owns 10% of Volkswagen VW share price at 14-year low Other dividends higher Volkswagen’s shares have tumbled by more than two-thirds from a 2021 peak, slashing the value of Qatar’s stake in the German conglomerate, as shrinking ma... Register now: It’s easy and free This content is available for registered members only. Register for […] November 5, 2024
Oil & Gas Saudi Aramco blames lower sales for drop in profit Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest listed oil company, reported a 21 percent drop in third-quarter net profit on Tuesday that it blamed on lower crude prices and sales volumes and shrinking refining margins. The state-controlled conglomerate made a net profit attributable to shareholders of $26 billion in the three months to September 30, down from […] November 5, 2024
Markets OQ’s methanol unit is latest in Oman’s privatisation push OQ Base Industries is to sell up to 49 percent of its shares through an initial public offering in Oman – the fourth flotation of an OQ subsidiary since March 2023. The Omani state oil company raised OR748.8 million ($1.94 billion) in October by offloading a 25 percent stake in its upstream subsidiary OQ Exploration […] November 4, 2024
Finance Duo dream big with Abu Dhabi’s first tokenised treasuries fund The first tokenised treasury bill fund licensed in the Abu Dhabi Global Market launched on Thursday, with its creators hoping to attract $100 million from investors within a year. Such funds buy United States treasuries, which are US government bonds, and then create a blockchain-based token to represent these assets, thereby enabling digital, fractional ownership […] October 31, 2024
Markets Shares in Oman’s OQEP recover after poor debut Shares in Oman’s OQ Exploration and Production rebounded on Tuesday, recovering some of their losses following a shock slump on the Muscat bourse a day earlier as dividend-seeking institutional investors took advantage of the sell-off to acquire at lower prices. OQEP, the upstream subsidiary of state oil company OQ, raised OMR748.8 million ($1.94 billion) in […] October 29, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance Late-year flurry of flotations forecast for Gulf Headline figures may suggest the number and combined value of Gulf initial public offerings is ebbing. But a flurry of late-year flotations should enable the 2024 totals to equal or eclipse those of 2023. Demand from investors, especially foreign institutions, for new Gulf IPOs and for greater exposure to the Gulf’s economies, indicates a growing […] October 28, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Petrochem plants under pressure to utilise capacity Petrochemicals plants are currently operating at just over 80 percent capacity, rates which must increase for the sector’s margins and product prices to improve, analysts say. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (Sabic) is the world’s seventh largest chemicals manufacturer by sales, while both the UAE and Qatar have invested heavily in creating homegrown petrochemicals industries. Globally, […] October 25, 2024
Banking & Finance Rate cuts will put pressure on Gulf banks’ margins September’s benchmark interest rate reductions came too late to affect Gulf banks’ third-quarter earnings to a meaningful extent, although the longer-term impact on lenders’ net interest margins will be negative. In mid-September the Federal Reserve cut the benchmark US interest rate by 50 basis points to 5 percent, its first reduction since late 2018. The […] October 25, 2024
Real Estate Dubai’s bellwether Emaar to report Q3 profit rise Dubai’s Emaar Properties, bellwether of the emirate’s bourse, and its real estate development subsidiary, are likely to report sizeable increases in third-quarter profits versus the preceding three months as margins expand and under-construction projects reach revenue recognition thresholds. Emaar Properties owns 79 percent of Emaar Development and also has hospitality and retail divisions. It is […] October 24, 2024
Banking & Finance Investment banks enjoy fee windfall from debt issuance Investment banking fees on bond and sukuk issuance in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) have surged this year as governments, corporations and commercial banks raise increasing amounts of debt to meet their funding needs. Mena debt capital market underwriting fees in the first nine months of 2024 rose 74 percent year on year […] October 23, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance Analysts expect ‘mixed’ picture from Gulf banks’ Q3 results The Gulf’s largest banks are likely to report mixed earnings for the third quarter, analysts say, as pressure on margins lessens the benefit of lending growth. Qatar National Bank and Dubai’s Emirates NBD – the Middle East and Africa’s largest and fifth largest banks by assets – have already published Q3 results. QNB’s profit rose […] October 23, 2024
Analysis Markets Saudi petchem profits could rise but margin pressures persist Saudi Arabian petrochemicals producers’ third-quarter earnings are likely to be better than the dismal results in the same period last year, but are unlikely to spark a stock price rebound as investors await further evidence that the industry is mounting a sustained recovery. The kingdom’s stock index of listed “materials” companies, which includes petrochemicals manufacturers […] October 18, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance Japanese fund fails to deliver for Gulf investors Eight years ago next week Saudi Arabia became a founding investor in SoftBank’s Vision Fund, pledging $45 billion, and Abu Dhabi soon committed another $15 billion. The creator of the private equity fund, the world’s largest, was Japanese tech guru Masayoshi Son, who, at the time, predicted it would “accelerate the information revolution”. In October […] October 11, 2024
Analysis Economy Qatar to write off SME loans in bid to boost non-oil growth Qatar will write off some private sector loans as part of government efforts to boost the subdued non-oil economy. Its government said on Wednesday that the loan write-offs will include those for Qatari companies “benefiting” from the National Response Guarantee Program (NRGP), launched in 2020 to support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. State-run Qatar Development […] October 11, 2024
Exclusive Banking & Finance Bond issuances to soar this year, says top Dubai banker Emirates NBD Capital, the investment banking unit of Dubai’s top lender, has issued a record number of bonds for its clients this year as corporate and sovereign borrowers shrug off historically high interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties. The Emirates NBD subsidiary launched operations in 2007. Today, it has eight full-time employees in its Dubai office […] October 10, 2024
Food & Drink Shareholder disputes worsen Saudi fast-food chain Herfy’s woes As its profits and share price plunge, Saudi Arabia’s leading fast-food chain Herfy has become embroiled in disputes with its two biggest shareholders. Founded in 1981 by Ahmed Al-Said after he returned from studying in the United States, Herfy operates about 385 restaurants across the kingdom, plus bakeries and meat processing factories. It also has […] October 9, 2024
Finance Abu Dhabi is top global city for SWF assets with $1.6trn Abu Dhabi’s various sovereign wealth funds have a combined $1.67 trillion in assets, having overtaken Oslo to become the wealthiest global city for SWF assets. This total includes Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), Mubadala, ADQ and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, plus the federal government-owned Emirates Investment Authority, according to a report by Singapore-based consultants […] October 9, 2024
Analysis Finance Tunisia’s tough decisions: to reform or face debt default Tunisian external debt is $43bn Budget deficit 7.6% of GDP Default averted by foreign loans As Tunisia’s president Kais Saied celebrates his re-election, the former lawyer must decide whether to implement unpopular reforms to receive a ... October 9, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance Omani banking sector ripe for further mergers Oman’s banking sector has more than doubled in size since 2013 but may lack the scale to meet state financing needs. Lenders are already stretched in terms of their loan-to-deposit ratios, and further sector consolidation is probably needed along with borrowing on international bond markets. Bank Muscat is Oman’s largest with assets of OMR13.7 billion […] October 7, 2024
