Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Saudi Vision 2030 likely to fall short of lofty goals The recent elevation of Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman to crown prince has raised hopes of a renewed impetus to push through his Vision 2030 reform programme. But, while the scope of the programme... 27th June 2017 · 20 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Moroccan dirham to rise once central bank loosens its grip The spotlight in the region’s currency markets over the past couple of years has been on the threat of large devaluations but, as we explain in this Focus, the risks in Morocco appear to lie in the... 3rd February 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Saudi Arabia unlikely to take strong action to boost oil prices The oil cartel, OPEC, is likely to reach some sort of face-saving deal to cut oil output at its meeting next week, but we think claims that Saudi Arabia has abandoned its strategy of protecting its... 22nd November 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Rise in Saudi interest rates has further to go Clinton’s housing proposals will not give homeownership much of a boost. The focus on down payments ignores the fact that it is the need for a high credit score which is preventing many Americans from... 12th October 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Egypt devaluation: short-term pain, long-term gain? We think the latest moves by the Central Bank of Egypt suggest that a long-awaited devaluation of the pound may be just around the corner. This will inevitably involve some short-term pain, but over a... 2nd March 2016 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Five reasons why we’re upbeat on the outlook for Morocco After a difficult few years, the outlook for Morocco is finally brightening. We think the country could be one of the best performing economies in the emerging world over the coming years. 1st September 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Assessing the outlook for post-sanctions Iran The recent nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 has rekindled investors’ interest in the Islamic Republic. In this Focus, we take a closer look at the outlook for Iran’s economy and explain... 16th July 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Why the Gulf’s dollar pegs are here to stay The sharp fall in oil prices since the middle of last year has thrust the Gulf’s dollar pegs under the spotlight but there are plenty of reasons to think that the risk of currency devaluation remains... 12th May 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus What to look out for from Egypt’s investor conference The Egyptian government has organised this week’s Economic and Development Conference as a milestone in its strategy to raise much-needed investment. The spotlight will be on the unveiling of large... 12th March 2015 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Fall in oil prices to wipe out Gulf’s current account surplus The recent fall in oil prices, if sustained, will effectively wipe out the Gulf’s current account surplus. This shouldn’t pose too many problems for these economies. Even if oil prices fall further... 2nd December 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Gulf: Fall in oil prices unlikely to trigger another “lost decade” Concerns that the recent fall in oil prices could lead to another “lost decade” for the Gulf, similar to the 1980s, are probably overdone. The region’s large accumulated savings mean that most... 21st October 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Algeria’s economy on an unsustainable path Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s re-election in April seemed to mark a return to business as usual for the economy. However, Algeria’s growth model is looking increasingly unsustainable. If... 10th September 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Five priorities for Egypt’s new government With Egypt’s presidential election now out of the way, policymakers’ attention has turned to reviving the struggling economy. In this Focus, we outline five areas which we think need to be addressed... 26th June 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Will Egypt’s election be a turning point for the economy? Egypt’s upcoming presidential election has cast the spotlight back onto the country’s bumpy transition to democracy. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led last summer’s “second revolution”, is widely expected... 22nd May 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus North Africa: A potential manufacturing hub? Three years on from the Arab Spring uprisings, political uncertainty continues to weigh on the near-term outlook for Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. But over a longer horizon, assuming that policymakers... 15th April 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Is it time to sound the all-clear on the UAE’s banks? Five years on from Dubai’s debt crisis, the UAE’s banking sector appears to be returning to health, which should open the way for an improvement in credit growth. However, the large overhang of debt... 27th March 2014 · 1 min read
