Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economic recovery hits a bump in the road Saudi Arabia’s economic recovery lost some steam in Q3 but, with virus restrictions easing further and oil production rising, GDP growth will strengthen over the rest of this year and next. 7th September 2021 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Morocco’s recovery to surprise on the upside Morocco’s strong vaccine rollout and a rebound in the agricultural sector will support a robust recovery over the coming quarters. Although a slow return of tourists and fiscal consolidation will act... 2nd September 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update A dive into Saudi Arabia’s balance of payments A rise in oil prices has supported an improvement in Saudi Arabia’s current account position, which should be in surplus over the coming years. That, combined with signs that the sovereign wealth fund... 16th August 2021 · 4 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: rate cuts still on the cards The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) kept its policy rate on hold on Thursday, and we continue to hold a non-consensus view that a fall in inflation later in the year will allow the CBE to resume its... 6th August 2021 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Saudi economy picking up pace Saudi Arabia’s economic recovery appears to have been quite strong in Q2 and the further easing of virus restrictions and rising oil production means that GDP growth will continue to gather steam over... 29th July 2021 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Tunisia: political turmoil further raises debt risks The decision by Tunisia’s President Kais Saied to sack the prime minister and freeze parliament has raised serious concerns about the future of democracy in the country and couldn’t come at a worse... 26th July 2021 · 4 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi inflation to slump, risks lie to the downside Saudi inflation is set to fall sharply in July as last year’s VAT hike falls out of the annual comparison. While there will be some upwards inflation pressure from the re-opening of the economy and... 1st July 2021 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi recovery gathering pace Saudi Arabia’s economic recovery seems to have got back on track in Q2 and, as virus restrictions are eased further and oil production cuts are scaled back, a strong second half of the year lies in... 29th June 2021 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update The latest on COVID-19 and vaccines in MENA Virus numbers have fallen in the past few months in the MENA region and a rapid vaccine rollout should allow most of the Gulf economies, as well as Morocco, to lift restrictions further over the... 21st June 2021 · 4 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: rates to remain on hold until Q4 The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced it kept interest rates on hold on Thursday evening and, with inflationary pressures building, the CBE is likely to refrain from cutting rates in the near term... 18th June 2021 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Iran: nuclear deal, elections and the economy Negotiators appear to be closing in on an agreement to revive Iran’s nuclear deal which, if revitalised, would provide a substantial lift to Iran’s economy – it could plausibly expand by 8-10% per... 7th June 2021 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi: easing of restrictions paves way for H2 recovery Saudi Arabia’s economy suffered a small downturn in Q1 and the recovery so far this quarter has been slow-going. But, with the vaccine roll out picking up pace and restrictions being relaxed, coupled... 2nd June 2021 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Tourism set for uneven recovery Strong vaccine rollouts in the Gulf and Morocco have allowed for an easing of travel-related restrictions but there is still a long way to go and recoveries in tourism sectors are likely to be slow... 26th May 2021 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s gas sector to provide a boost to the recovery Egypt’s natural gas sector struggled last year as the slump in regional energy prices caused production and exports to fall. But the re-opening of key LNG infrastructure in recent months and prospects... 20th May 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi: fiscal purse strings kept tight, for now Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit narrowed in the first quarter of the year on the back of higher non-oil revenues and a sharp reduction in capital spending. Higher oil revenues will support a further... 11th May 2021 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Lessons from the UAE’s vaccine rollout The UAE has been one of the global leaders in its vaccine rollout thanks to the aggressive procurement of vaccines, numerous vaccination centres and wide eligibility. Containment measures have been... 5th May 2021 · 5 mins read
