Opinion Oil & Gas Uncertainty over Russian price cap clouds recovery of crude As the price of Brent rises, so does the price of Russia’s Urals crude oil July 24, 2023
Opinion Energy Opec’s challenge: oil market stability and sustainability Balancing demand with calls to cut emissions points to a different future July 18, 2023
Analysis Oil & Gas TotalEnergies pins hopes on desalination for Iraq project TotalEnergies’ $27 billion development deal with Iraq includes building a water desalination plant crucial to Baghdad’s efforts to raise oil production, but doubts persist over the financial and logistical viability of the long-delayed project. The multifaceted agreement signed on Monday foresees constructing a 1 gigawatt solar power plant, capturing waste gas from oil fields to […] July 13, 2023
Analysis Energy TotalEnergies’ $27bn bet on Iraq boosts ailing oil industry TotalEnergies’ signing of a long-stalled $27 billion deal to develop several energy-related projects in Iraq is a significant vote of confidence in the country’s fraught oil and gas industry, according to analysts. The agreement represents the biggest single foreign investment in Iraq in modern times and suggests the government of newly-installed prime minister Mohammed Shia […] July 12, 2023
Analysis Economy Oil cuts hurt Oman GDP, say experts Oman’s GDP growth is set to slow this year as oil production cuts act as a “significant drag” on economic activity. Growth is forecast to slow from 4.3 percent in 2022 to 1.8 percent this year, according to analysts at BMI, formerly Fitch Solutions. This is below the 10-year historical average of 3.1 percent before […] July 5, 2023
Analysis Oil & Gas Saudi GDP growth slows as oil activity to ‘go into reverse’ Slowing oil activity is hampering real GDP growth for Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of crude, official figures show. Real GDP grew by 3.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2023, according to Riyadh’s General Authority for Statistics. This is down from 5.5 percent in the previous quarter and 10 percent […] July 4, 2023
Opinion Oil & Gas Saudi and Russian oil cuts add to palace intrigue at Opec Delegates in Vienna will be eager to debate the impact of the latest moves by Riyadh and Moscow July 3, 2023
Opinion Oil & Gas Saudi breaks Opec logjam with further oil cuts Prince Abdulaziz's announcement reduces the kingdom's output to its lowest level in years June 5, 2023
Opinion Economy China-GCC FTA will be a game changer A deal would galvanise Middle Eastern economic transformation May 25, 2023
Analysis Economy New wave of Saudi spending is no cause for concern A spike in spending during the first quarter of 2023 is likely to lead to a “modest” full-year fiscal deficit for the Saudi government but room remains to make further outlays, experts say. The government recorded a deficit of nearly SAR3 billion ($800 million) in the period, driven by a 29 percent surge in spending, […] May 25, 2023
Opinion Energy Opec+ ponders whether to stick or twist April's output cuts appear to have had the desired effect, but the oil alliance may yet cause another surprise May 22, 2023
Opinion Economy Tricky year ahead for Middle East as oil cuts bite, says IMF Opec+ cuts are the main factor in the reduced GDP growth rate this year May 3, 2023
Opinion Energy IEA is wrong to blame Opec+ for global inflation The latest spat seems to boil down to divergent views on China April 18, 2023
Opinion Economy Opec+’s cuts will be viewed dimly by the US The cuts are here to stay, and the global economy will need to adjust April 7, 2023
Opinion Energy What does Saudi Arabia know? A lot about global oil markets The kingdom and Opec+ have a knack for calling the market right, says Frank Kane April 4, 2023
Opinion Energy Russia is the big loser from the weaponisation of energy Invasion of Ukraine has badly damaged Moscow's oil and gas industry February 23, 2023
Opinion Energy Russian sanctions have rejuvenated the world’s ‘ghost’ oil market Moscow says it will not comply with an oil price cap, but may have little choice if it wants to continue selling February 17, 2023
Opinion Economy Sobering year ahead but Saudi and UAE can weather storm Geopolitics will inevitably affect the big Gulf economies February 2, 2023
Analysis Economy Less dramatic year ahead for Middle East post-Covid and oil boom era After the sugar rush of 2022, Gulf states will have to get used to less dramatic rates of growth in 2023, as economies stabilise following the immediate post-Covid period that coincided with the spillover effects from the Ukraine crisis. GCC growth averaged 6.5 percent in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates, and the […] December 28, 2022
Analysis Development 10 events that shaped the Gulf’s economies in 2022 This last year has been book-ended by two of the largest events the Gulf has ever seen: Expo 2020 Dubai and the Fifa football World Cup in Qatar, helping the region throw off the shackles of the coronavirus pandemic. Many events share a common theme, according to Andreas Krieg, associate professor at King’s College London. […] December 27, 2022
Opinion Development Goodbye 2022: Lessons to be learnt from a year of challenges From the coronavirus pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the immense challenges of 2022 inform hopes and fears for the future December 16, 2022
Opinion Energy A new cap on Russian oil leaves world relying on the Gulf Middle East producers will be the main beneficiaries as markets look elsewhere for supply December 14, 2022