Markets Egypt’s blue-chip stock index trading at near 6-year lows Egypt’s blue-chip index hit a new near six-year low on Wednesday before recovering slightly in later trading, a day before the release of June inflation data. The index is down 27.44 percent so far this year, having tumbled 3.6 percent to 8,642 on Monday, its lowest since November 2016. In morning trading on Wednesday the […] July 7, 2022
Economy Cost-of-living crisis driving surge in extreme poverty, says UN The global cost-of-living crisis is pushing an additional 71 million people in the world’s poorest countries into extreme poverty, a new report published by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday has warned. Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator, said an analysis of 159 developing countries showed that the surge in key commodity prices this year was […] July 7, 2022
Banking and Finance Middle East backers help Chinese tech giant Sequoia raise $9bn Sequoia Capital China has raised a total of nearly $9 billion for four new funds amid investor hopes that the authorities are easing a regulatory crackdown on the tech sector, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The latest fundraising by Sequoia China, which according to the person originally targeted at least $8 […] July 7, 2022
Markets Dubai road toll operator appoints first CEO ahead of flotation Dubai road-toll operator Salik has appointed Ibrahim Al Haddad as chief executive officer, it said on Wednesday, in a move that showed the company was moving closer to its planned flotation. Haddad’s appointment was made at Salik’s first board meeting since it became a public joint stock company on June 15, the firm said in […] July 7, 2022
Markets Dubai leads most Gulf bourses lower on recession fears Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Wednesday, with the Dubai index falling most, hit by concern over a possible global recession. Dubai’s main share index lost 1.9 percent, dragged down by a 2.8 percent fall for blue-chip developer Emaar Properties and a 2.7 percent decline for sharia-compliant lender Dubai Islamic Bank. Separately, […] July 7, 2022
Analysis Economy UAE seeks 27 trade deals as global growth slows Global trade growth is forecast to remain resilient this year, expanding at a rate of three percent, despite a fierce onslaught of headwinds, according to the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre. But that represents a significant slowdown from nearly 10 percent in 2021 when global trade hit a record-high of $28.5 trillion. DMCC’s Future of Trade […] July 6, 2022
UK Morocco trade envoy resigns amid Johnson leadership crisis Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, is set to resign today following a swathe of party resignations. Among those to submit their resignation was Dr Andrew Murrison, trade envoy to Morocco, who submitted a strongly-worded letter yesterday saying that Johnson’s position had become “unrecoverable” over his handling of the row over disgraced deputy chief whip Chris […] July 6, 2022
Analysis Economy Nadhim Zahawi: the Iraqi tasked with rebuilding the UK economy New British chancellor of the exchequer Nadhim Zahawi says his rise from “an immigrant boy” to hold the job as steward of the country’s treasury showed what a great country Britain was. Zahawi was appointed chancellor late yesterday after a series of ministerial resignations in protest at Boris Johnson’s premiership, including that of former chancellor […] July 6, 2022
Analysis Economy UAE businesses keep squeeze on profits as inflation bites Businesses in the UAE’s non-oil sector continue to defy global trends by choosing to squeeze profits rather than hike prices, as energy costs climb at the fastest pace for 11 years, according to a new survey. However, industry sources have told AGBI that this situation is unlikely to be able to continue in the long-term […] July 6, 2022
Banking and Finance Global corporate debt to drop amid higher funding costs Global corporate net debt has fallen by 1.9 percent to $8.15 trillion in the past year as higher borrowing costs reduce appetite for new financing and strong cash flows from years of accommodative monetary conditions help companies repay existing debt, a study of 900 top firms released on Wednesday showed. Indebtedness is expected to decline […] July 6, 2022
Banking and Finance Canadian crypto lender Voyager files for bankruptcy Voyager Digital has filed for bankruptcy, the crypto lender said in a statement on Wednesday, a week after suspending withdrawals, trading and deposits to its platform as it sought additional time to explore strategic alternatives. In its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Tuesday, Toronto-listed Voyager estimated that it had more than 100,000 creditors and somewhere […] July 6, 2022
Banking and Finance New Turkish central bank rules causing issues for exporters Turkey’s exporters are experiencing serious problems in accessing financing due to new regulations by the central bank and the BDDK banking watchdog, the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) said on Tuesday. Turkey’s economy authorities have taken restrictive steps in the face of economic turmoil that has seen inflation reach its highest level in 24 years […] July 6, 2022
Economy Egypt non-oil business drops to lowest level for two years Non-oil private sector activity in Egypt dropped in June to its lowest level in two years as inflation, a weaker currency and shortages of materials bit into demand, a survey showed on Wednesday. The S&P Global Egypt Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) weakened to 45.2 from May’s 47.0, well below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth […] July 6, 2022
Markets Dubai stocks sink again, wiping out 2022 gains The Saudi stock market extended losses for a third session on Tuesday amid mixed responses from Middle East stock markets to rising investor concerns of a possible global recession. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index eased 0.1 percent, hit by a 4.6 percent slide in Sahara International Petrochemical. The kingdom and the United Arab Emirates are boosting […] July 6, 2022
Economy Saudi and UAE boost spending to shield poor from inflation Saudi Arabia and the UAE are boosting state spending on social welfare by billions of dollars as they seek to shield their citizens from rising living costs. The UAE is doubling the financial support it provides to low-income Emirati families to 28 billion dirhams ($7.6 billion) to help them with soaring inflation in the Gulf […] July 5, 2022
Banking and Finance Zand unveils big names as UAE’s digital banking rivalry hots up Zand, the digital bank headed by Emaar boss Mohamed Alabbar, has named a number of business big hitters as part of its board of directors ahead of its launch. Adnan Abdulfattah Kazim Abdulfattah, Emirates chief commercial officer, and Yusuff Ali MA, chairman of retail giant Lulu Group, are part of the new venture as competition […] July 5, 2022
Economy Qatar’s economy grows 2.5% in first quarter Qatar’s economy grew 2.5 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, although the growth fell slightly from the previous quarter, official estimates showed on Tuesday. Qatar’s real gross domestic product (GDP), which is adjusted for inflation, shrank 0.3 percent in the first quarter from the fourth quarter to 166.26 billion riyals ($45.68 billion), […] July 5, 2022
Economy UAE doubles support for low-income Emirati families The United Arab Emirates is doubling the financial support it provides for low-income Emirati families to 28 billion dirhams ($7.6 billion) to help them with soaring living costs in the Gulf state. The expanded budget allocation, reported by state news agency WAM on Monday, includes increasing existing benefits and establishing new ones targeted at mitigating […] July 5, 2022
Economy Saudi King allocates $5bn to tackle rising prices The Saudi king has ordered the allocation of 20 billion riyals ($5.33 billion) to tackle the effects of the rising global prices, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. Half of the allocated money will go to social insurance beneficiaries and the Citizen Account Program, it added. Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector expanded in June […] July 5, 2022
Markets Most Gulf bourses fall as investors fear global recession Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Monday, extending losses as investors remained worried about a global recession. Figures on Friday showed euro zone inflation hit yet another record high in June, firming the case for rapid European Central Bank rate hikes starting this month. US consumer sentiment hit a record low in […] July 5, 2022
Economy UAE-Indonesia deal to add billions to bilateral trade Officials from Indonesia and the UAE have hailed the signing of a free trade agreement which is predicted to boost bilateral trade to more than $10 billion annually within five years. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in Abu Dhabi on Friday, will eliminate or sharply reduce duties on 99 percent of goods traded […] July 4, 2022
Banking and Finance Qatar First Bank acquires office tower in the US Qatar First Bank has acquired a building in Richmond, Virginia, the lender’s eleventh real estate investment deal in the United States. The Gateway Plaza building is described as a Class AA trophy asset with an area of 330,000 square feet, the bank said in a press statement. Build in 2015, the building is a multi-tenant […] July 4, 2022
