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Economy

Economy and markets news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

People are seen riding on a tram in Taksim. Turkish debt

Turkish debt markets have a busy summer ahead

Ankara faces a busy summer of funding its borrowing programme, rolling over existing bonds and issuing new securities to bridge a widening budget deficit, as it contends with high interest rates and persistent inflation. On Tuesday, the finance and treasury ministry conducted three lira-denominated auctions of bonds and treasury bills with a combined value of […]

Saudi cement, Saudi cement companies, Saudi cement producers, Saudi cement manufacturers

Cement’s mixed results reflect Saudi outlook

In some respects, Saudi cement producers, important constituents of the Tadawul stock exchange and bellwethers of the national economy, have never had it so good. The kingdom has an array of giga-projects underway and is preparing to host a series of high profile international events, from the World Expo in Riyadh in 2030 to the […]

Lower oil prices, influencing revenues from giants like Aramco, mean Saudi Arabia's budget deficit is expanding

Saudi Arabia will issue more debt to meet budget shortfall

Saudi Arabia will probably issue at least $10 billion more in bonds and sukuk this year to help fund the kingdom’s widening budget deficit. Since posting a surplus in 2022 thanks to oil prices hitting a 10-year peak that year, Saudi Arabia has posted annual deficits due to lower crude revenues and higher government spending. […]

Traders on the floor of the Turkish stock exchange. The share of equity held by foreigners slipped to an 18-month low in June

Turkish bourse anticipates return of foreign investors

Investors are continuing to exit Turkey’s stock exchange, despite Borsa İstanbul’s main index recovering from losses sparked by concerns over political instability. However, anticipated cuts in interest rates could see a return to the share market as traders seek richer earnings. More than 1.8 million investors stepped away from the exchange in the year ending […]

Grand Egyptian Museum Giza Egypt economy

Egypt economy

The latest economic and demographic indicators for Egypt, including GDP, inflation, trade, population, unemployment and more

Kayseri Turkey economy

Turkey economy

The latest economic and demographic indicators for Turkey, including GDP, inflation, trade, population, unemployment and more

Despite a dip in oil-related activities, key non-oil sectors like retail, hospitality and finance are thriving.

Growth for Saudi Arabia, but challenges emerge

Saudi Arabia raised its economic growth estimate for the first quarter, driven by expansion in the non-oil sector. The General Authority for Statistics (Gastat) said on Monday that real GDP grew by 3.4 percent in the three months to March 31, compared with the same period last year. That also compared with its earlier estimate of […]

The Kuwait Investment Authority is one of the biggest shareholders in Germany's Mercedes-Benz Group and has a 50-year relationship with the company

The KIA maintains its low profile approach – for now

Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is not only the oldest Gulf sovereign wealth fund, but also the most opaque.  It publishes little information about its assets and usually invests abroad through asset managers rather than directly. Its low-profile approach contrasts with the likes of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and the Qatar […]

Qatar economy Doha skyline

Qatar economy

The latest economic and demographic indicators for Qatar, including GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, unemployment and more

Muscat skyline, Oman economy

Oman economy

The latest economic and demographic indicators for Oman, including GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, unemployment and more

Manama skyline Bahrain economy

Bahrain economy

The latest economic and demographic indicators for Bahrain, including GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, unemployment and more

Kuwait City skyline Kuwait economy

Kuwait economy

The latest economic and demographic indicators for Kuwait, including GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, unemployment and more

Riyadh roads, Saudi Arabia economy

Saudi Arabia economy

The latest economic indicators and demographic trends for Saudi Arabia, including GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, expats, unemployment and more

Women in Alexandria, Egypt. Remittances to the country have soared in the current financial year

Remittances to Egypt almost double to reach $26bn

Remittances from Egyptian expatriates hit a new record in the first nine months of fiscal year 2024/2025, driven by renewed confidence in the economy. Inflows surged by 83 percent to $26.4 billion between July 2024 and March 2025, compared with $14.4 billion a year earlier, Egypt Today reported, quoting the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) […]

Mehmet Şimşek and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a G20 summit in 2015, during Şimşek's first stint as finance minister

Debate, but no turning back for the team driving Turkey’s economy

Two years after reversing a policy of fiscal unorthodoxy, Turkey’s economy and its finance minister are at a crossroads.  Criticism has mounted that the reforms put in place by Mehmet Şimşek since mid-2023 have either not gone far enough to restore stability or gone too far in clamping down on inflation, causing a slowdown in […]

Abu Dhabi skyline UAE economy

United Arab Emirates economy

The latest economic indicators and demographic trends for the United Arab Emirates, including the UAE's GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, expats, unemployment and more

Qatar's oil and gas revenue stood at QR42.5 billion in the first quarter of 2025, down 10 percent compared to a year ago

Qatar records $137m budget deficit on lower oil income

Qatar recorded a budget deficit of QR500 million ($137 million) in the first quarter of 2025 as oil revenues declined. Total revenue reached QR49 billion, down 7.5 percent year on year, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported. Oil and gas revenue stood at QR42.5 billion, down 10 percent year on year. However, non-oil revenue reached […]

Construction workers on their lunch break in Doha. Businesses Qatar – along with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – reported strong jobs growth in May

Saudi, Kuwaiti and Qatari bosses report hiring sprees

Employment growth has accelerated in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar despite economic uncertainty, but hiring momentum remains uneven in other Mena markets, according to the latest purchasing managers’ index surveys. In Saudi Arabia, job creation was “one of the fastest seen in over a decade” in May, the Riyad Bank PMI report said.  The Saudi index’s […]

The promenade at Muscat harbour. Analysts say Oman needs to do more to diversify its economy

Oman raises $130m from latest sale of treasury bills

Oman has raised $130 million from treasury bills in a three-part sale that began on Monday.  The Central Bank of Oman sold $5 million, $52 million and $74 million of bonds with terms of three, six and 12 months, respectively. The coupon – or annual interest rate – is 5 percent.  By Tuesday the sale […]

Aircraft, Airplane, Transportation

Dubai airlines lead GCC bid to revive Syrian economy

Dubai-based airlines are resuming services to Syria after a gap of nearly 13 years as the Gulf states unite to support the war-torn country’s economic recovery.   Low-cost carrier Flydubai resumed operations to Syria, with the first flight landing at Damascus International Airport on Saturday, a move aimed at building ties between the UAE and Syria. […]