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Opec said President Trump's policies had increased uncertainty but did not change its demand predictions

Opec sticks to growth forecasts despite Trump policies

Opec on Wednesday stuck to its forecast for relatively strong growth in global oil demand in 2025, saying air and road travel would support consumption and potential trade tariffs were not expected to impact economic growth. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in a monthly report, said world oil demand will rise by 1.45 […]

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Americana Restaurants profit rises as Gaza boycott eases 

Americana Restaurants, the largest food service business in the Middle East and North Africa, said profit rose in the fourth quarter as a consumer boycott that is related to the Gaza conflict eased. Net income in the three months to December 31 rose 26 percent to $41 million, compared with $32 million in the same […]

McDonald's enjoyed a rebound in sales in the final quarter of last year

McDonald’s sales rebound in Middle East as boycott impact fades

McDonald’s recorded sales growth in the Middle East in the fourth quarter of last year as the impact of boycotts tied to the Gaza war faded. This helped the US burger giant offset weaker performance elsewhere in the world. The fast food chain posted a 4.1 percent rise in Q4 sales in its international developmental […]

An Emirates plan fills up with sustainable aviation fuel before a test flight. Fuel compliance costs could reduce the airline's margins

Arab airlines criticise EU over cost of green fuel policy

Arab airlines have criticised the European Union for its policy on cleaner aviation fuels, which they say could drive their costs up by more than a quarter over the next eight years. The Arab Air Carriers’ Organisation (AACO) says the EU’s aviation sustainability policies involve inconsistencies that unfairly penalise non-European airlines and drive up costs […]

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 […]

Emirates Airline A380s being assembled at the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France

Airbus expects Middle East aircraft fleet to double by 2043

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus expects fleet size in the Middle East to more than double in the 18-year period to 2043, the world’s third-fastest rate after China and the Asia-Pacific region. In its latest Global Market and Services Forecast, Airbus said Middle East demand, led by airlines in the Gulf, is estimated at 3,740 new aircraft […]

People, Person, Crowd

DeepSeek’s arrival opens door for Middle East AI developers

Serious competitor for ChatGPT Region must move quickly Balance between US and China A global artificial intelligence battle looks to be building between China and the US that could well benefit Middle East AI startups through lower dev... Register now: It’s easy and free This content is available for registered members only. Register for your […]

LNG Tanker, Drydocks, taken in 2000, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Algeria and Egypt lead Arab LNG export decline

Total Arab exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fell last year, led by drops in Algeria and Egypt. Algeria was doing maintenance work on gas facilities and Egypt was diverting gas to meet domestic summer demand. Arab exports of the gas declined by 3 percent from 112 million tonnes in 2023 to 108.6 million tonnes […]

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, […]

US President Donald Trump with China's President Xi Jinping at a G20 conference: both countries are vying for Gulf trade

A 10% tariff on China – and a tricky calculation for the Gulf

At one minute past midnight in Washington, the United States’ 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports came into effect. Beijing retaliated moments later, announcing even heavier levies on US goods from next week. Canada and Mexico were granted a temporary reprieve after talks on Monday, but there was no last-minute deal for President Donald Trump […]

Medina, Saudi Arabia: the kingdom's non-oil sector showed strong growth in the latest figures

Saudi non-oil conditions hit 10-year high

Business activity and sentiment in Saudi Arabia’s non-oil sector has reached its highest level in over a decade. Saudi Arabia’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) score hit 60.5 in January, up from 58.4 in December – its highest since September 2014. The pace of input price inflation at Saudi non-oil companies in January was the second-fastest […]

Western investors are increasingly looking to the Gulf for mergers and acquisitions, rather than Middle Eastern businesses only investing outward

Gulf mid-market mergers flourish as economy matures

International private equity companies are increasingly keen to buy mid-sized Gulf companies as the regional economy matures and GDP growth elsewhere falters, a corporate adviser tells AGBI. Other factors, such as Gulf family conglomerates seeking to narrow their business focus, are also spurring a rise in mergers and acquisitions, says James Jarvis, a director at […]

Indoors, Interior Design, Wood The logo for Goldman Sachs on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange. The investment bank kept its 2025-26 oil price forecasts unchanged

Trump’s tariffs will not move oil prices, says Goldman Sachs

The new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports from Canada, Mexico and China are likely to have a limited near-term impact on global oil and gas prices, Goldman Sachs said in a note on Sunday. “Potential tariff-driven decline in US natural gas imports from Canada is too small to significantly raise US […]

Jewellery makers will feel the impact of rising silver prices, as will industries including solar photovoltaics and electric vehicles

Tight supply and strong demand pressure silver prices

Gulf investors – and romantics – may have to keep a watchful eye on silver in the months ahead as tight supply and strong demand make their impact on prices. This will not only have consequences for those looking for jewellery, but also for industries ranging from solar photovoltaics (PV) to electric vehicles (EVs), and […]