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GCC

Business news and financial news, analysis, opinion and statistics covering the six Gulf Corporation Council members Bahrain, Kuwait,  Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Ismael Al-Hinti of the Al Hussein Technical University in Jordan, says that universities have to evolve Video length: 04:45

Universities have to change to bridge the skills gap

Education in the Mena region must transform to reflect the changing market, according to experts. Ismael Al-Hinti, president of Al Hussein Technical University in Jordan told AGBI that young people entering the jobs market in the region face a skills mismatch, with unemployment rates highest among the most educated. The answer, according to Al-Hinti, is […]

The US is likely to pump more oil under Donald Trump's presidency

Investors may shun Gulf as oil prices fall, BoA says

President Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” push to increase US oil production and potentially drive lower prices could dampen investor appetite for Gulf Arab markets, according to the Bank of America. Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest oil producer, has been on a marketing blitz in the US this past week, hosting an investor conference in […]

The absence of earnings calls 'may discourage investors from buying' a Gulf stock, says one analyst

Gulf CEOs urged to conquer fear of earnings call

Earnings calls for analysts, reporters or investors are a staple for listed companies in Western markets. The same is not true in the Gulf, however, and experts say that can make it harder to assess a company’s performance and justify its stock valuation. It can also deter institutional investors, limit liquidity and slow market growth. […]

cheap sugar gulf Brazil harvest

Cheap sugar from India and Brazil forces cuts on Gulf refiners

Cheap sugar from India and Brazil flooding the global market has forced Gulf refiners to cut production. Managers at Al Khaleej Sugar in Dubai told local media at a conference that the company was operating at 70 percent capacity as regional sugar refineries struggle with overcapacity.  The UAE is among the top consumers of sugar, […]

Workers on the high tension transmission lines performing maintenance

Oman secures $100m loan to join GCC power grid

Qatar Development Fund has signed a $100 million loan agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) to help finance the connection of the regional power grid to Oman. The project is expected to cost more than $700 million. It involves the construction of two 400 kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission lines connecting the GCCIA’s […]

Gulf Trump tariffs, US GCC trade, US GCC tariffs, US Gulf trade, US Gulf tariffs

Gulf likely to escape Trump tariffs, analysts say

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the other Gulf Arab states are likely to escape US President Donald Trump’s tariff ire, analysts say. This is because the world’s largest economy by and large runs a trade surplus with them, their value added tax (VAT) is relatively low and they peg their currencies to the US dollar. […]

Gulf water parks, Gulf water park market, GCC water park market, Dubai water park, UAE water park

Gulf water park market risks saturation as numbers grow

With the Grand Hyatt Dubai due to open a new onsite water park this year, the UAE and wider Gulf region will add to an already vast collection of slides, lazy rivers, splash parks and other water-based leisure facilities. There being so many is perhaps not surprising given near year-round sunshine and heat in the […]

Gulf aluminium US

Gulf aluminium supplies to US to continue despite tariffs

Short-term supplies of aluminium from the Gulf to the US are set to continue despite new tariffs planned by President Trump, according to experts. The new US president announced tariffs of 25 percent on all supplies of aluminium into the US on Sunday. In 2024 the Gulf made up over 16 percent of US aluminium […]

Trump steel tariff

What Trump’s steel tariffs mean to the Middle East

Donald Trump’s proposed US steel tariffs will put Turkish producers most at risk in the Middle East, while Gulf steel exporters will be sheltered from the worst of the damage, experts have told AGBI. On Sunday Mr Trump, the newly elected US president, said he would soon unveil 25 percent import taxes on all steel […]

A survey found that only half of Gulf respondents managed to sleep the recommended six to eight hours per night

Tech specialists tap into Gulf’s market of the sleep deprived

People in the Gulf are among the worst sleepers in the world, research has found – and that makes the region a rousing proposition for sleep-aid businesses such as the US pair Whoop and Eight Sleep. A survey of 2,727 people across the GCC, published last month, found that only half manage to sleep for […]

Secretary of state Marco Rubio suggests Iran is in US sights but other Gulf economies may fare better

Navigating volatility: The impact on GCC economies

The optimism is welcome – but it may be misplaced. This week the Riyad Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index in Saudi Arabia hit its highest level in more than 10 years – a significant vote of confidence in the Arab world’s largest economy. There was positive news too on jobs in the kingdom. Employment rose “solidly” last year, […]

Traffic in Dubai: most Middle East insurance premiums go towards motoring Video length: 04:44

EVs and air taxis will shake up Mena insurance industry

Motor insurance represents more than 50 percent of premiums in developing insurance markets such as the Middle East, says Vinay Surana, managing director for the region at Allianz Partners. The rapid development and introduction of electric vehicles, self-driving vehicles and air taxis will present new risks and demand new approaches and different ways of thinking, […]

Mining operator on mining machine, underground mine mesh

From fertiliser to minerals, GCC-Brazil ties move beyond oil

Since the start of the year Saudi Arabia and the UAE have moved aggressively to expand their access to mineral resources in Brazil. In turn, Brazil is increasing purchases of Gulf fertilisers as economic links between the countries deepen. The Public Investment Fund-controlled mining giant Ma’aden is gearing up to open its first ever office […]

Trump tariffs ‘pose long-term risk to Gulf’, say economists

Gulf economies could benefit in the short term from a tariff-led trade war between the US and some of its major partners, but they face longer-term risks of lower oil prices, tariffs on their own non-oil exports and high interest rates, analysts have warned. Although President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico at […]