Opinion Banking & Finance Miami’s Saudi love affair hasn’t convinced everyone Saudi Arabia is all the rage among US investors, but FDI constraints remain February 27, 2025
Opinion Oil & Gas The Riyadh summit will shape global energy geopolitics Diplomatic pressure is rising and so is the volatility of black gold February 26, 2025
Oil & Gas 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 […] February 26, 2025
Oil & Gas Trump hails Saudi Arabia at investment event in Miami Donald Trump’s speech on the opening day of a Saudi-backed investor summit in Miami once again highlighted the close relationship the US president is nurturing with the world’s second-largest oil producer. Calling Saudi Arabia a “special place with special leaders”, Trump individually greeted Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the state-owned Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Mohammed […] February 20, 2025
Opinion Energy Iraq must act fast to avoid a domestic energy crisis Things are never simple in the land of the two rivers but Baghdad needs solutions now February 18, 2025
Analysis Trade 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. […] February 14, 2025
Opinion Industry How Trump’s tariffs could reshape Gulf aluminium exports Ports, shipping, transport and logistics services must be ready to react quickly February 14, 2025
Banking & Finance US banks buy Dubai gold to counter potential tariffs Dubai is among several global gold centres benefiting from fears among US banks that President Donald Trump might impose duties on the precious metal, analysts say. A backlog at refining facilities in Switzerland has added to US banks’ concerns about the availability of bullion. “There is now a real concern about the tariffs being imposed […] February 13, 2025
Opinion Banking & Finance GCC banks will prosper under Trump’s presidency The challenge for Gulf banks will be to keep their balance and focus in a volatile policy landscape February 13, 2025
Analysis Trade $600bn Saudi-US trade pledge ‘unlikely to be achieved’ Saudi Arabia’s pledge to increase trade and investment with the US to at least $600 billion over President Trump’s four-year term is “very optimistic” and “unlikely to be achieved,” according to a Washington-based think tank. Instead the kingdom is prioritising domestic projects and faces lower oil revenue. The commitment was made by Crown Prince Mohammed […] February 13, 2025
Manufacturing What Trump’s steel tariffs mean to the Middle East Donald Trump’s proposed US steel tariffs will put Turkish producers most at risk in the Middle East, while Gulf steel exporters will be sheltered from the worst of the damage, experts have told AGBI. On Sunday Mr Trump, the newly elected US president, said he would soon unveil 25 percent import taxes on all steel […] February 11, 2025
Opinion Trade US trade bravado hides a cautious stance on China Presidents Trump and Xi are going through the motions February 6, 2025
Opinion Trade The Gulf has a tricky path to plot between China and the West It may be clichéd to call the Gulf a crossroads between north, south, east and west, but it is undeniably true February 5, 2025
Analysis Markets Trump’s tariffs inject volatility into metal markets President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs have increased uncertainty for global metals and minerals markets. Demand for gold – a traditional safe haven – soared on Tuesday, with the price of international spot gold rising to $2,819.46 an ounce. The precious metal was trading still higher on Wednesday morning at $2,851.21 an ounce. This is despite […] February 5, 2025
Analysis 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 […] February 5, 2025
Analysis Trade Trump tariffs ‘pose long-term risk to Gulf’, say economists Gulf economies could benefit in the short term from a tariff-led trade war between the US and some of its major partners, but they face longer-term risks of lower oil prices, tariffs on their own non-oil exports and high interest rates, analysts have warned. Although President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico at […] February 4, 2025
Opinion Tech US ambitions are a fork in the road for GCC crypto If Trump follows through on deregulation, the States could be a serious competitor to the Gulf February 4, 2025
Opinion Trade GCC should target tariff-free food deals with Trump US agriculture could be looking for new export markets February 4, 2025
Oil & Gas 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 […] February 3, 2025
Analysis Mining 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 […] February 3, 2025