Oil & Gas Oil prices stable despite Middle East and US uncertainty Oil prices were broadly stable on Thursday as uncertainty around conflict in the Middle East and reports of North Korean troops ready to help Russia in Ukraine kept traders on edge ahead of the US presidential election. Brent crude futures were up 29 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $75.25 a barrel by 11:57 GMT. US […] October 24, 2024
Analysis Oil & Gas US sanctions unlikely to stop Iran’s oil smugglers Tighter US economic sanctions are unlikely to disrupt Iran’s oil exports in the long run because Tehran has developed a sophisticated system of oil smuggling, using a dedicated fleet of tankers and middlemen in multiple countries, industry observers say. The regime in Tehran has been under US sanctions since the Islamic revolution of 1979. But […] October 23, 2024
Energy Oil price slips on higher US crude stockpiles Oil prices fell on Wednesday after industry data showed US crude inventories swelled more than expected, though futures were still up about 2 percent this week as traders factored in continuing conflict in the Middle East. Brent crude futures dropped $1.40, or 1.8 percent, to $74.64 a barrel by 11:07 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude […] October 23, 2024
Oil & Gas Oil prices up as Blinken flies to Israel for peace talks Oil prices rose to $75 a barrel on Tuesday, extending gains from the previous session as investors weighed the impact of China’s stimulus measures to boost its economy, while concerns over conflict in the Middle East persisted. Brent crude futures for December delivery were up 43 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $74.72 at 13:19 GMT. US West Texas […] October 22, 2024
Opinion Trade A Trump win would impact Gulf trade and oil markets A rise in protectionism following the US election could trigger a re-ordering of world trade October 21, 2024
Oil & Gas Oil prices regain some ground after 7% loss last week Oil prices rose on Monday, recouping some of last week’s more than 7 percent decline on worries about demand in China, the world’s top oil importer, and easing concerns about potential supply disruptions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures were up $1.16, or 1.6 percent, to $74.22 a barrel at 10:36 GMT. US West […] October 21, 2024
Markets Neom-backed robotaxi operator Pony Ai files for US IPO Pony AI, a Chinese autonomous driving company backed by an investment arm of Saudi giga-project Neom, has filed for an initial public offering in the US. The Guangzhou-based company applied to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange but did not reveal the size of the offering. Pony AI operates a fleet of more than […] October 18, 2024
Energy Oil on track for biggest weekly loss in over a month Oil futures inched lower and were headed for more than a 6% weekly drop on Friday on concerns about demand from China’s slowing economy and easing supply risk from the Middle East conflict. Brent crude futures inched 33 cents lower, or 0.44 percent, to $74.12 a barrel by 1143 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $70.41 a barrel, […] October 18, 2024
Manufacturing PIF-backed Lucid shares tumble on anticipated Q3 losses Shares of Saudi-backed US luxury electric vehicle maker Lucid fell more than 12 percent in pre-market trading on Thursday. The drop came after the company announced it anticipates reporting a larger-than-expected loss for the third quarter and a public offering of more than 262 million shares. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, already a majority shareholder […] October 17, 2024
Tech UAE bypasses Nvidia chip restrictions to grow AI capabilities The UAE has established a way to use Nvidia’s powerful AI chips to boost its own artificial intelligence capabilities, despite recent US export restrictions within the sector. Core42, a subsidiary of Mubadala-backed G42, announced last week that it has developed a specialised system to deploy Nvidia’s H100 Tensor. This new set-up, which the company calls […] October 17, 2024
Tourism Las Vegas’s giant Sphere entertainment centre coming to Abu Dhabi A twin of the $2.5 billion 111-metre-tall Sphere entertainment centre in Las Vegas is to be built in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) has signed an agreement with US company Sphere Entertainment to build the venue at an as yet unnamed “prime spot” in Abu Dhabi that will echo the […] October 16, 2024
Aviation Boeing 777X delay ‘highly expensive for us’, says Emirates Planemaker Boeing’s announcement of more delays in the delivery of its 777X aircraft to customers has had a “significant and highly expensive” impact on Emirates’ fleet programme, the Dubai carrier said this week. Emirates has already spent an extra $3 billion for a massive cabin refurbishment programme on 191 of its existing planes, 110 A380 […] October 15, 2024
Construction Saudi startup’s smart helmets upping safety on building sites When Hassan AlBalawi first proposed a smart helmet that would track all employee movements on building sites, construction companies could not see the point. “We were focusing on this problem of how to get technology into the construction field, measuring the drowsiness of construction workers. But it turned out the construction companies didn’t know or care,” […] October 11, 2024
Gaming Wynn Resorts says UAE site will earn $1bn in gaming revenue Wynn Resorts estimates that gaming revenue from its forthcoming resort in Ras Al Khaimah will be between $1 billion and $1.66 billion, it revealed at an investor presentation. The range assumes a UAE market size of $3 billion to $5 billion and Wynn’s 33 percent share of it, based on two more integrated resorts eventually […] October 9, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas Energy and Opec are at the centre of the US election campaign The Democrats just cannot shake the image of being opposed to oil and gas October 9, 2024
Analysis Oil & Gas Fears for Strait of Hormuz oil gateway in Iran-Israel face-off The prospect of a sustained Iran-Israel conflict is raising concerns that Iran could respond by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway critical to GCC oil and gas exports. Last month about 15 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude passed through the Strait of Hormuz, 36 percent of global seaborne oil exports, according to […] October 8, 2024
Artificial Intelligence UAE’s MGX part of OpenAI’s $6.6bn fund raising UAE technology investment company MGX was among the investors in the latest round of funding for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. OpenAI said it raised $6.6 billion from investors in the latest round, the largest ever venture capital deal, valuing the company at $157 billion. Venture capital company Thrive Capital led the round with a […] October 3, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas War, oil, safe haven assets and risk premium in the GCC Geopolitical risk premium could well rise to $130 a barrel if Iran responds further to an Israeli attack October 2, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Cerebras says success hinges on UAE’s G42 as it prepares for IPO Cerebras Systems trebled its revenue to almost $79 million in 2023, but ahead of its initial public offering the AI chipmaker has warned that its financial growth is heavily tied to its partnership with the UAE’s G42. The company, which is based in California and generated $136.4 million in the first six months of this […] October 2, 2024
Industry EGA buys majority stake in US aluminium recycler Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the biggest non-oil industrial company in the UAE, has acquired an 80 percent stake in US-based aluminium recycling company Spectro Alloys Corporation. The owner-managers of Spectro will hold 20 percent. The funding will be in line with EGA’s green finance framework, launched in June, to support decarbonisation projects and enable the […] September 30, 2024
Banking and Finance Mubadala partners with Wall Street for private credit drive Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala, is to participate in a $25 billion programme of private credit direct lending that has been launched by the New York Stock Exchange-listed bank Citigroup and the alternative asset manager Apollo. Mubadala will act as partner in the programme to Apollo, which is based in New York. Athene, Apollo’s […] September 27, 2024
Video length: 04:09 VIDEO Banking and Finance The digital currency that could upend how the Gulf trades Project mBridge – a China-led central bank digital currency initiative, which the UAE and Saudi Arabia are part of – could have “broad strategic implications” for regional trade, according to market analysts. A CBDC is a digital form of a country’s fiat currency, which is backed by a government. It eliminates the need for intermediaries […] September 26, 2024