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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

Workers carry fertiliser bags to be mixed with water at a farm in Sharjah: the World Bank’s fertiliser price index has rebounded to 124 from a three-year low last May of 108

Gulf investors urged to switch from petrochems to fertiliser

Gulf fertiliser companies are trading below their fair value, with investors not seeming to price in a rebound in product prices that analysts say is more than just a seasonal upswing. In the Gulf, fertilisers and petrochemicals are considered adjacent industries, since both rely on natural gas as a feedstock. While petrochemical companies’ earnings have […]

A busy Tokyo street full of neon signs and people. The Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) said in its annual report this week that exports from the GCC totalled $84 billion in 2024

GCC exports to Japan slump by more than $10bn in 2024

Exports by wealthy Gulf nations to Japan, a major economic partner, plunged by $10 billion in 2024 following a decline in oil prices, according to a trade organisation. The decline combined with an increase in Japan’s exports to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to depress the Gulf group’s trade surplus by nearly $11 billion. […]

The King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station in Riyadh. The $5.6bn subway contract accounted for nearly a third of Chinese construction investment in Saudi Arabia

Middle East is top recipient of Chinese Belt and Road deals

The Middle East was the top recipient of construction and investment deals under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2024, with the total value reaching $39 billion.  That may not go down well in Washington. Saudi Arabia and construction topped the list, according to a report by Griffith Asia Institute, based in Queensland, Australia. […]

President Donald Trump, pictured touring an LNG facility in Louisiana in 2019, has lifted a moratorium on LNG export permits

US energy push bodes well for GCC’s LNG interests

Since his return to the Oval Office, Donald Trump has moved aggressively to unleash a new era for the American energy sector.  Last month, he established a National Energy Dominance Council, tasked with expediting projects by cutting red tape and promoting private-sector investment.  He has also lifted a moratorium on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export […]

Staff at a Burjeel clinic in the UAE. Retaining skilled medical professionals is a major issue across the GCC

Gulf healthcare battling staff shortages as demand rises

Recruitment is the single biggest challenge facing the Gulf’s healthcare sector, according to industry experts. By 2029, the region will need around 12,300 additional hospital beds to serve a population that is not only growing in number but also aging and living longer, according to private equity group Alpen Capital.  That is equivalent to growth […]

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 […]