Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly COVID-19 vaccine hopes, asset sales, UAE reforms The distribution of an effective COVID-19 vaccine would provide a boost to economic recoveries, particularly in those economies most vulnerable to social distancing measures, such as Dubai, Morocco... 12th November 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly US election, oil output cuts, COVID-19 restrictions This week’s US election has yet to reach a conclusive result, but some of the potential downside risks facing the Middle East and North Africa appear to have diminished. Meanwhile, OPEC+ seems to... 5th November 2020 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi budget, Hariri returns, Oman gets financing Data published this week showed that, even though it’s early days, fiscal austerity in Saudi Arabia is already having the desired effect of improving the underlying budget position. But this will come... 29th October 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Gulf to lean more on debt markets amid low oil prices Oman this week became the latest government in the Gulf to tap international bond markets, taking the region’s issuance so far in 2020 to an annual record. In Oman's case, while this will help to... 22nd October 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly NCB-Samba merger, Oman VAT, OPEC+ deal The merger between National Commercial Bank and Samba is the latest effort to consolidate the Saudi banking sector and, with the crisis likely to weigh on profitability, it may be a sign of things to... 15th October 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Egyptian inflation and the IMF, GDP data, Tunisian debt Egyptian inflation data for September, due next week, are likely to be low enough to result in the IMF encouraging the central bank to cut interest rate cuts. Elsewhere, the raft of recently-released... 8th October 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi austerity, Arabtec liquidation, Lebanese politics Saudi’s preliminary 2021 budget showed that, with oil prices likely to stay low, fiscal austerity is here to stay and this will act as a key headwind to the economic recovery. Elsewhere, the collapse... 1st October 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi fiscal policy, Umrah pilgrimages, Egypt rate cut? Comments from a Saudi official suggest that the government is looking to boost the Kingdom’s economic recovery but, against the backdrop of low oil prices, the scope to row back on austerity plans is... 24th September 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly OPEC, peace to business for UAE & Israel, Saudi mills The OPEC ministerial meeting that takes place today is unlikely to result in any immediate policy changes, but the cartel will probably acknowledge the worsening demand outlook and may signal that it... 17th September 2020 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Oil price fall and Gulf fiscal strains, tourism reopening The fall in the price of oil this week has put further pressure on fiscal positions in the Gulf, and most governments are likely to run large budget deficits over the rest of this year. For now... 10th September 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Tunisia and Lebanon politics, Saudi corruption drive Political developments in Tunisia and Lebanon this week have raised hopes that policymakers can tackle their respective economic problems, but there remain plenty of reasons for caution. Elsewhere... 3rd September 2020 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Lebanon’s crisis continues to worsen, Tunisian politics The lack of progress in forming a new government in Lebanon has pushed the country further into the depths of it’s economic, humanitarian, and political crises. Social unrest risks boiling over as... 27th August 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Oman’s reshuffle, peace with Israel, Saudi-OPEC The shake-up at Oman’s foreign ministry this week may herald a warming of ties with the rest of the Gulf and pave the way for bilateral financial support. Bahrain is reported to be next in line to... 20th August 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Lebanon’s woes, Oman’s loan to precede Gulf support The resignation of Lebanon’s government is unlikely to result in the political change that protestors are demanding and, with debt restructuring negotiations on hold, bondholders will probably have to... 13th August 2020 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Latest on the Beirut blast, oil price rise The major explosion in Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut, has caused enormous destruction and sadly the disaster will only deepen the country’s economic, humanitarian, and political crises. The high... 6th August 2020 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Dubai GREs, Hezbollah-Israel conflict, peak oil demand The past week has highlighted the strains that the coronavirus crisis has inflicted on some of Dubai’s government-related entities and reinforced our concerns over their ability to service large debts... 30th July 2020 · 6 mins read
