Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Growth in the Gulf diverges It looks like economic growth accelerated further in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar over the first few months of the year. In Saudi Arabia, this was supported by a rebound in the oil sector, while... 21st May 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egyptian pound may fall further as CBE reduces support The fall in the Egyptian pound in recent weeks is significant given that the central bank had maintained a tight grip on the currency over the past year. No official explanation has been provided for... 20th May 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s public finances still dire, but default risk seems limited Egypt has one of the worst fiscal positions in the world, but the risk of default is lower than some seem to think. Funding from the Gulf, coupled with a domestic banking sector willing to purchase... 14th May 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update What might an al-Sisi presidency hold in store for Egypt’s economy? Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the leader of last summer’s “second revolution”, looks set to sweep to victory in Egypt’s presidential election, scheduled for 26th - 27th May. In this Watch, we take a closer... 8th May 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update UAE PMI hits record high April’s PMI data from the MENA region suggests that the rebound in the UAE’s economy has strengthened. Meanwhile, the economic recovery in Egypt from last summer’s unrest remains bumpy as the country... 6th May 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update UAE and Qatar equities rally ahead of MSCI upgrade Equity markets in the UAE and Qatar have rallied in the past month ahead of their upgrade to emerging market status by MSCI. By contrast, the Egyptian stock market has had a relatively disappointing... 29th April 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Central Bank of Egypt holds rates as inflation outlook deteriorates The Central Bank of Egypt kept interest rates on hold today and, with the outlook for inflation deteriorating, they are likely to remain unchanged for the next six to twelve months. 28th April 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Inflation follows different paths in Saudi Arabia and the UAE Inflation has followed very different paths in the Gulf’s two largest economies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in recent months. In Saudi, consumer price inflation has continued to fall... 24th April 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: rate cuts looking unlikely as inflation outlook deteriorates Egyptian inflation has fallen back in recent months as the effects of last year’s sharp depreciation of the pound have started to unwind. But with the economy starting to recover and the outlook for... 10th April 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update PMIs suggest Saudi domestic demand may have weakened March’s PMIs from the MENA region, released earlier today, show that the UAE’s non-oil economy continues to strengthen, but domestic demand in Saudi Arabia may have weakened in recent months... 3rd April 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update North African economies accelerate, but clouds on the outlook Recently released GDP data showed that growth in the North African economies (Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) picked up modestly in the final quarter of last year. We expect growth to strengthen further... 31st March 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update MENA equities continue to outperform Equity markets in the MENA region continue to soar. Dubai’s market has been the region’s best performer since the start of the year, closely followed by that of Egypt, which has been buoyed by... 27th March 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s external position still not sustainable An influx of financing from the Gulf since last summer has eased strains in Egypt’s balance of payments and brought the country back from the brink of a crisis. Nonetheless, this situation isn’t... 24th March 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Regional growth picking up Growth in the MENA region’s major economies appears to have accelerated in recent months. Our GDP tracker points towards a pick-up in growth in the Saudi economy at the start of the year, and timely... 20th March 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s falling gas exports underline need for reform A combination of stagnant production and rapidly increasing domestic consumption means that Egypt is set to become a net importer of natural gas in the near future. Support from the Gulf should help... 18th March 2014 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update A look ahead to Egypt’s presidential election Egyptian presidential elections are due to be held in the coming months with Field Marshal al-Sisi, the leader of July’s “second revolution”, widely tipped to emerge triumphant. However, he would... 12th March 2014 · 1 min read
