Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Bond markets buoyed by delay to Fed “taper” Bond markets across the MENA region have rallied over the past month as it looks increasingly likely that the US Fed will delay tapering its asset purchases under QE3 until early next year. Elsewhere... 29th October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy gathers pace as oil sector returns to growth Having slowed at the start of this year, our Saudi GDP Tracker suggests that the economy has rebounded in recent months. The oil sector is growing once again. Meanwhile, the non-oil sector continues... 25th October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Inflation set to stay subdued across most of the region Easing food inflation and a modest dip in core price pressures have caused headline inflation to fall across much of the MENA region over the past few months. We expect inflation to remain benign in... 24th October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Gulf well insulated from a potential US default News from Washington overnight suggests that the US authorities are edging towards an agreement that would prevent a US default. But even if talks break down, the Gulf economies are probably the best... 15th October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s tourism sector bears the brunt of the unrest Tourist arrivals to Egypt have fallen back following the country’s “second revolution” and we estimate that tourist revenues in July and August were $600mn lower than in the same months of last year... 10th October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: Suez revenue is not offsetting broader economic losses The fact that the Egyptian authorities seem determined on keeping the Suez Canal open is clearly a positive for world trade. But it is not enough to offset the weakness in other sectors of the... 8th October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Gulf economies motoring ahead September’s PMI data point to a marked pick-up in activity in the Gulf’s non-oil sectors, supported by an improving external environment. By contrast, the Egyptian economy is showing little sign of... 3rd October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Q2 GDP data shed light on Egypt’s economic troubles GDP data released over the past few days provide evidence that the Egyptian economy was struggling even before the country’s “second revolution”. Elsewhere, there was better news from Morocco, while... 2nd October 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Fall in Tunisia’s government not a major economic setback News that Tunisia’s government has agreed to step down at some point over the next few weeks provides a further reason to think that growth there will remain sluggish and that fiscal reforms may slip... 30th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Should we be concerned about credit growth in the Gulf? Rapid credit growth in the Gulf has fuelled fears that the region is experiencing a credit binge similar to that which culminated in Dubai’s crisis in 2009. But, for now at least, we think that there... 27th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Equity markets rebound on back of Syria deal & Fed decision Equity markets have recovered some of their earlier lost ground as concerns overWestern military intervention in Syria, as well as fears of a tapering of QE3 by theUS Federal Reserve, have eased. 25th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update More Egyptian rate cuts could be on the way The Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) decision to cut interest rates by 50bp today shows that policymakers are fully focussed on supporting the economy. With the backing of aid from the Gulf, additional... 19th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy starting to accelerate Our Saudi GDP Tracker suggests that the economy started Q3 on a strong note. The drag from the oil sector has eased, while growth in the non-oil sector has accelerated, supported by rapid credit... 17th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update What next for the Egyptian pound? Following the recent strengthening of the Egyptian pound, we have revised our year-end forecast for the currency. But in this Watch, we explain why we still think that, over a longer horizon, the... 10th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Growth in Morocco and Tunisia to remain sluggish Signs of recovery in the euro-zone are encouraging for Morocco and Tunisia. But political problems and large twin fiscal and current account deficits will continue to cloud the economic outlook. 5th September 2013 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy turning the corner After slowing sharply over the past year or so, the Saudi economy appears to have turned the corner in Q2. The oil sector’s drag on growth is easing while government stimulus is starting to filter... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
