Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Gulf likely to shrug off calls for deeper oil output cuts Oil policy in the Gulf has been thrust back into the spotlight after the Saudi government disclosed details of Aramco’s export allocations for November. But there is less to this than meets the eye... 12th October 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Sep.) Egyptian inflation edged down further in September and we expect it to fall sharply in the coming months, prompting the central bank to start cutting interest rates. 10th October 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s easing cycle likely to start in late-2017 The statement accompanying last night’s decision by Egypt’s central bank to leave interest rates on hold suggests that, with inflation now falling, policymakers are trying to downplay expectations... 29th September 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Saudi Arabia returns to the international bond market Saudi Arabia returned to the international bond market this month in order to plug its twin budget and current account shortfalls. A total of $12.5bn of dollar debt was issued, split into three... 28th September 2017 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Drop in CA deficits take EMs out the firing line There are several reasons why the gradual tightening of monetary policy in developed markets is unlikely to cause major problems for EMs, but one of the most important is that current account deficits... 26th September 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s tourism recovery likely to be slow-going After a dreadful few years, Egypt’s tourism sector has shown tentative signs of a recovery. Government hopes that the sector can quickly return to its pre-2011 heyday are well wide of the mark, but a... 13th September 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Aug.) The drop in Egyptian inflation last month, to 31.9% y/y, confirms that it has now passed its peak. We expect it to fall sharply towards the end of the year which should bring interest rate cuts on to... 11th September 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s fiscal progress falls short of IMF goals Egypt’s budget deficit has narrowed sharply over the past year and the high public debt-to-GDP ratio should start to fall back soon. However, the authorities have already missed some of the fiscal... 6th September 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Qatar crisis reaches an impasse The diplomatic crisis between Qatar and regional powers seems to be in deadlock. Saudi Arabia and its allies revised their demands in July to something that appeared to be more palatable for Doha, but... 24th August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update MENA equities continue to struggle Equity markets across most of the emerging world have risen over the past month but those in the Middle East and North Africa have fallen back, continuing their underperformance this year. Stocks in... 23rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egyptian central bank to ease policy before year end The Central Bank of Egypt brought its tightening cycle to an end last night. With inflation likely to fall sharply over the next six-to-nine months, we expect that the MPC will start to ease monetary... 18th August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Egyptian inflation likely to fall by more than most expect Egyptian inflation rose to its highest rate since 1986 in July, but it has been pushed up by a number of one-off factors that will fade over the next six-to-nine months. Indeed, we think inflation has... 10th August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jul.) July’s ‘whole economy’ PMIs for the MENA region suggest that recoveries in the nonoil sectors of the Gulf economies resumed at the start of Q3, while conditions in Egypt’s economy appear to have... 3rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Strains in Qatar’s markets ease There is growing evidence that the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and regional powers has (at least temporarily) hurt Qatar’s economy, but there are also signs that tensions in the country’s... 31st July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Upward pressure on Egyptian pound likely to wane Egypt’s central bank appears to have been intervening in the foreign exchange market to prevent the pound from strengthening, but we think the forces putting upward pressure on the currency will soon... 26th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Are we witnessing the end of the GCC? A threat by regional powers to expel Qatar from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has sparked fears that the group could be disbanded. A complete breakup of the GCC seems highly unlikely but, even if... 12th July 2017 · 1 min read
