Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Egypt’s bumper PMI, Saudi Budget, MENA 2026 Outlook

November’s batch of PMIs suggest that growth strengthened in the region last month, particularly in Egypt where the survey hit its highest level (outside the post-pandemic recovery) since 2015...

4th December 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Dubai real estate, Bahrain-Oman public finances, Egypt rates

The surge in prices in Dubai’s real estate sector appears to be prompting developers to take on debt to finance new projects. This echoes events prior to the crisis in 2009, but a re-run seems...

27th November 2025 · 6 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

MbS’s Washington trip tips the balance in US’s favour

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the US this week secured security, nuclear, mineral, and AI deals which will pull the Kingdom back from China’s sphere of influence towards the US.

20th November 2025 · 6 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Shifting geopolitical allegiances, IMF to visit Egypt

The meeting between Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Trump next week is widely expected to see the announcement of a new security deal and the US’s partnership in the...

13th November 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

UAE keeps up Gulf AI momentum, Qatar-Egypt deal

AI-related investments in the UAE this week add to signs that the US is using access to AI technologies to take the Gulf economies away from China’s sphere of influence. It may also reflect the...

6th November 2025 · 8 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Saudi Arabia’s FII: PIF and AI dominate the headlines

Comments at the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia this week suggest that the Public Investment Fund will take a step back from driving investment in the Kingdom, paving the way for greater...

30th October 2025 · 6 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Saudi-US defence talks, Egypt-IMF deal, Morocco 2026 Budget

The US and Saudi Arabia have stepped up security talks ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House next month. A full defence pact is unlikely to materialise, however, given...

23rd October 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Israel-Hamas ceasefire, oil slides, Tunisia’s unorthodoxy persists

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has, so far, remained intact, which could bring positive spillovers for the likes of Egypt and Jordan. More importantly, however, the war has fundamentally...

16th October 2025 · 6 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Egypt heads to Washington

Israel and Hamas appear on the cusp of agreeing a long-awaited ceasefire agreement. If it holds, this puts the region on a path to end the war and removes key downside risks to the Middle East’s...

9th October 2025 · 8 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

OPEC+ meeting, Saudi 2026 Budget, MENA’s debt splurge

This weekend’s OPEC+ meeting is likely to see the group agree to a further unwinding of oil production cuts in November, with some suggestions it could be one of the most aggressive moves yet...

2nd October 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Lebanon’s debt, Saudi & Dubai real estate

Lebanon’s Eurobonds are trading at their strongest in over four years as investors’ hopes of a sovereign debt restructuring build amid the new government’s reform push. But we’d caution that, for a...

25th September 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Fed and the Gulf, Saudi’s GBI inclusion, BAM meeting

Central banks in the Gulf followed the Fed by cutting interest rates by 25bp, but the backdrop of lower oil prices is likely to temper the impact of looser monetary policy on credit growth. Meanwhile...

18th September 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Saudi foreign investment report, OPEC+ decision

Media reports picked up on data published by Saudi Arabia this week which showed that 2024 was a record year for foreign direct investment inflows. But this didn’t take account of the fact that there...

11th September 2025 · 7 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

OPEC+ meeting, Saudi debt issuances & housing reforms

We suspect that the OPEC+ meeting on Sunday will result in a decision to keep oil production unchanged in October, rather than raise production further. But the risks to oil prices are still skewed to...

4th September 2025 · 8 mins read

Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly

Saudi Vision 2030 & non-oil trade, Tunisia protests

A report from the Saudi statistics office this week provided further evidence that women are playing a greater role in the economy – one area where the Vision 2030 reforms have had significant success...

28th August 2025 · 6 mins read