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Egypt’s import squeeze hobbles economy as US dollars run short

Christeen Aiad from eastern Cairo had been hoping to buy a small automatic car this year, but rules preventing importers trading in scarce dollars put paid to that and she is having to get around on her bicycle instead. The war in Ukraine has deepened Egypt’s economic woes. It sent the import-reliant nation’s bill for […]

Turkish president says inflation not ‘insurmountable threat’

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said inflation is not an “insurmountable economic threat,” adding it will begin to fall at the end of the year after it surged to more than 80 percent in August. Under Erdogan’s economic programme, Turkey gradually cut interest rates by 500 basis points at the end of last year, sparking a […]

Syria weakens official exchange rate to US dollar by 7%

Syria’s central bank has weakened its official exchange rate to 3,015 Syrian pounds to the dollar, a central bank statement said on Monday, while black market rates used for most economic activity sat around 4,440. The official rate was previously set at 2,814. Monday’s softening of the official rate represents a loss in value of […]

Turkey’s new rules force banks to curtail corporate lending

Some Turkish banks are curtailing corporate lending after the government’s latest raft of regulations raised their costs and forced many to cut their balance sheet risks, five banking and private sector sources told Reuters. The new rules, part of President Tayyip Erdogan’s unorthodox management of the economy, have especially depressed longer-term lending. The owner of […]

Egypt faces currency conundrum as it seeks IMF’s financial support

As Egypt pushes for a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan it has a choice between letting its overvalued currency weaken gradually and the kind of sharp depreciation it enacted in a similar currency crisis six years ago, with both options carrying risks, economists say. A severe shortage of foreign currency in Egypt over the […]

Russia considers proposal to buy up to $16bn of yuan in 2022

Russia’s government is considering a proposal which says Moscow could buy $3-4 billion worth of Chinese yuan a month to help stem the rouble’s rise, but that it does not make sense for the country to accumulate illiquid currencies longer-term. Flush with oil income, Russia is looking for ways to replenish reserves under a revived […]

Turkey’s inflation hits new 24-year high beyond 80%

Turkey’s annual inflation climbed to a fresh 24-year high of 80.21 percent in August, a bit below expectations according to data on Monday, after the central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates and stoked a nearly year-long cost-of-living crisis. Inflation has raced higher since last autumn when the central bank gradually cut its policy rate by […]

Egypt non-oil activity continues to shrink, with weak outlook

Non-oil private sector activity in Egypt shrank for the 21st month running in August, and businesses took a bleak view of the year ahead amid concerns over the currency, Ukraine and import bottlenecks, a survey showed on Monday. The S&P Global Egypt Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) improved to 47.6 from July’s 46.4, but remained below […]

Turkey sees inflation to ease to 65% by 2022-end

Turkey expects inflation to ease to 65 percent by the end of the year from nearly 80 percent in July, while the current account deficit is seen at $47.3 billion in 2022, government forecasts showed on Sunday. President Tayyip Erdogan’s new economic model has prioritised growth, exports, employment and investment while seeking to cut interest […]

Goldman Sachs raises Turkey 2022 GDP growth to 5.5%

Goldman Sachs said on Thursday it had raised its forecast for Turkey’s 2022 GDP growth to 5.5 percent from 3.5 percent, while lifting its 2022 current account deficit forecast to $45 billion from $36 billion. It said the Turkish Central Bank’s forex reserves had risen sharply since the third week of June and that, with […]

Turkey’s economy grew 7.6% in Q2 driven by domestic demand

Turkey’s economy grew 7.6 percent year-on-year in the second quarter as expected, extending a hot streak on strong domestic demand and exports, according to data on Wednesday, though economic activity was seen slowing through year end as demand cools. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 2.1 percent compared with the previous quarter on a seasonally and […]

IMF approves $18.5bn flexible credit line for Chile

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board approved a flexible credit line of around $18.5 billion for Chile to give the world’s leading copper miner greater flexibility to confront risks from commodities price shocks to financial tightening. Chile is one of Latin America’s most stable democracies but has nonetheless been hit by a depreciating currency […]

Water, Waterfront, Pier

Turkish trade deficit jumps 147% to $10.7bn in July

Turkey’s foreign trade deficit surged 147 percent year-on-year to $10.69 billion in July, with imports surging 41.4 percent, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed on Monday. Imports stood at $29.24 billion, while exports rose 13.4 percent to $18.55 billion, the data showed. Under an economic programme unveiled last year, Turkey aims to shift to […]

Egypt budget deficit narrow to 5.6% of GDP in 2022

Egypt expects more progress on reducing its budget deficit this year and a foresees a decline in its debt ratio after currency devaluations caused it to rise last year, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait told a news conference on Monday. The deficit was expected to narrow to 5.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the […]

Tie, Accessories, Accessory

Currency tops list of challenges for Egypt’s central bank governor

Egypt’s new central bank governor, Hassan Abdalla, faces a daunting task as he tries to repair an economy derailed by an overvalued currency, rampant inflation and a banking system emptied of most of its foreign currency. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi chose Abdalla for the position last week after outgoing governor Tarek Amer resigned suddenly, barely a […]

Egypt central bank increases cash withdrawal limits

Egypt’s central bank on Thursday increased the maximum amount of cash customers are allowed to withdraw from their bank accounts and removed restrictions on how much they could deposit entirely. Under a rule put in place in April 2020, the central bank restricted withdrawals to EGP 50,000 ($2,600), but now will allow withdrawals of up […]

Japanese manufacturing grows at slowest pace in 19 months

Japanese manufacturing growth slowed in August after declines in output and new orders, as businesses grapple with persistent rises in raw material and energy costs and weakening global demand. The au Jibun Bank Flash Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) recorded its most sluggish performance in 19 months, falling to a seasonally adjusted 51.0 in […]

Foreign tourist arrivals to Turkey soar 53% in July

Turkey’s foreign visitors jumped 53 percent in July from a year earlier, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and paving the way for $37 billion in tourism revenues sought by the government in support of President Tayyip Erdogan’s unorthodox economy policy. Foreign visitors to Turkey leapt to 6.67 million in July, mostly on the back of wealthy Russian […]

Money, Passport, Text

Bond yields tumble after Turkey unveils latest credit tweaks

Turkish benchmark bond yields fell by around 300 basis points on Monday after the central bank adopted its latest regulations meant to boost certain types of corporate credit in the face of months of rising lending rates. On Saturday, the central bank unveiled new required bond holdings for lenders, boosting demand on Monday. The measures […]

Egypt’s central bank governor resigns a year early

Egypt’s central bank governor Tarek Amer has submitted his resignation, the office of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said on Wednesday, just over a year before the completion of Amer’s final term. There was no announcement of a replacement for Amer, who has been appointed as a presidential adviser. The central bank governor is one of […]

City, Town, Urban

New Zealand central bank does not expect recession

Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Adrian Orr said on Wednesday that while growth would slow he did not expect a recession, adding that the central bank believed it was on top of inflation, which has hit three-decade highs. “Through our projection period ahead, while we do not forecast a recession … we do forecast […]

Egypt’s foreign currency gap narrows to $400m in July

Egypt’s foreign currency gap narrowed to $400 million last month from $3.9 billion in February, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Egypt Gamal Negm said on Saturday. Egypt has seen billions of dollars leave its markets since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February as investors have fled emerging markets for safer havens. But […]