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Donald Trump

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Donald Trump and his impact on Middle East business from AGBI

In the famously transactional Trump White House, it is likely quid pro quos will be sought

Transactional Trump will seek mutual benefits

There were few guests from outside the US establishment at Donald Trump’s inauguration in the Capitol building on Monday. Along with the past presidents, supreme court justices, members of congress, tech titans, and the military band avoiding an icy Washington day, was Javier Milei, the libertarian president of Argentina. Also present were Giorgia Meloni of […]

'Trump is a businessman and he wants to ensure that deals are going to be done throughout the year,' said UAE’s minister of state for foreign trade Thani Al Zeyoudi

Global trade will grow in 2025 despite tariff threats, says UAE

Global trade is expected to grow in 2025 despite threats by US President Donald Trump to impose new import tariffs, UAE’s minister of state for foreign trade Thani Al Zeyoudi has said. The momentum in foreign trade and global trade is growing, he told Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Trump is […]

US President Donald Trump makes a special address remotely during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos on January 23

Oil slips after Trump calls on Opec to lower prices

Oil prices were down on Friday after US President Donald Trump drew a direct link between persistently high inflation and global oil prices during video remarks before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  Trump said he intends to address the problem by boosting domestic production and by asking “Saudi Arabia and Opec to bring […]

MGX is part of Donald Trump's $500bn project to build data centres, and has aims to be part of the 'next technological revolution'

MGX could use Trump deal as springboard to global stage

UAE technology investment company MGX emerged on to the global stage this week when it was announced as one of the core backers of Donald Trump’s $500 billion Stargate artificial intelligence programme. Among the myriad announcements made in the opening days of Trump’s second stint as US president, was a $500-billion investment over four years […]

QIA is open to investing in joint ventures similar to the one announced this week between SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle

QIA alert to Trump’s tech push

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is open to exploring further technology investment opportunities, as it expects a sharp increase in US tech deals under the Trump administration. The presence of Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos at President Donald Trump’s inauguration suggests his government will be supportive of the tech industry, Mohammed Al Hardan, the head of technology, media […]

Donald Trump, pictured with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Arabia vows to invest $600bn in the US

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Donald Trump that he intends to increase the kingdom’s investments and trade with the US by at least $600 billion over the next four years. The call was the first Trump took with a foreign leader after beginning his second term as president. Bin Salman congratulated […]

Oil refinery worker. Saudi Arabia and other Opec members could be forced to boost output to offset a short-term loss in income, says one expert

Trump’s oil policy ‘problematic’ for Gulf producers, economists warn

Gulf oil producers should be worried about President Donald Trump‘s energy policy, economists have warned, as it could widen their budget deficits. Oil prices have already dipped in response to Trump’s pledge on Monday to boost US hydrocarbon production and they could plunge far below the breakeven prices adopted by Gulf governments in their annual […]

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman listen to Donald Trump talking about the Stargate project at the White House

Gulf has a strong hand in Trump’s $500bn AI project

Two of the three tech giants that will spend billions of dollars building US artificial intelligence infrastructure in a partnership announced by President Donald Trump have been the recipients of significant Gulf investment. Japan’s SoftBank and US companies OpenAI and Oracle have committed $500 billion over four years to Stargate, an entity tasked with building […]

Amin Nasser, CEO of Aramco, at the Future Investment Initiative; he told Reuters oil demand this year will approach 106 million barrels per day

Aramco chief expects extra oil demand of 1.3m bpd

Saudi oil giant Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser said on Tuesday he sees the oil market as healthy and expects an additional 1.3 million barrels per day of demand this year. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nasser was responding to a question on the impact of US President Donald Trump’s energy […]

Trump and tech

Tech and crypto make a mark as Trump takes charge

Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday as the 47th President of the United States was an overt display of the evolving ties between technology, politics and finance.  The presence of tech industry titans and the cryptocurrency market’s dramatic response highlighted the strong relationship between Trump’s administration and the tech world, with potential long-term impacts for Gulf […]

Person, Worker, Adult

Turkey’s exports to US surge but tariffs are a threat

Turkey’s exports to the US rose by $1.26 billion year on year to more than $13 billion in 2024, official data shows. The chemical and chemical products sector accounted for the largest share of exports at $1.5 billion, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing data from the Türkiye Exporters’ Assembly (TİM). The automotive industry followed at $1.2 […]

Donald Trump, flanked by the first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and US House speaker Mike Johnson, addressed energy and trade at his inauguration

Trump doubles down on energy and trade on first day in job

US President Donald Trump pushed forward with multiple, controversial campaign pledges on the first day of his second term in the White House, including on issues such as energy and trade that are bound to affect Gulf economies. Ascribing stubbornly high inflation to “massive” government overspending and “escalating” energy prices, Trump declared after his inauguration […]

The minerals and metals sector dipped slightly on Donald Trump's presidential election victory but has remained largely resilient to talk of tariffs

Trump’s bravado fails to spook minerals market – so far

Ordinarily, commodity markets tend to react strongly when leaders of major global economies announce plans for war and conquest. If those plans involve disrupting one of the world’s most important sea lanes and reversing centuries of peace with two major allies, you might even expect a certain panic. Yet, when US President-elect Donald Trump declined […]

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Donald Trump during the latter's first term. An expectant Saudi Arabia is prepared to face the challenges and opportunities of his second

Trump inauguration: Saudi Arabia comes into focus

Saudi Arabia looms large as Donald Trump moves back into the White House for a second term as US president, and there are many opportunities for cooperation along with significant challenges. Since Trump was first elected in 2016, one would be “hard pressed” to name a more changed nation than Saudi Arabia, according to Richard […]

Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners and Eagle Hills have agreed to build a luxury hotel and apartment complex in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade

Eagle Hills plans Trump hotel project with Kushner

The Abu Dhabi-based developer Eagle Hills and Affinity Partners, an investment firm founded by Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have agreed to build a luxury hotel and apartment complex in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade.  The project, on the site of the former Yugoslav defence ministry, will feature a 175-room Trump hotel as its centrepiece, and 1,500 […]

Donald Trump and President Biden talk in the Oval Office at the White House after Trump's election victory last November

Tariffs and tech on the UAE’s radar as Trump takes office

When billionaire developer Hussain Sajwani appeared on stage with Donald Trump earlier this month to announce $20 billion worth of investment in US data centres, he did not hide his glee about the Republican’s return to the White House. The chairman of UAE-based Damac Properties called Trump’s re-election in November “amazing news” and said his […]