Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy to gather momentum Saudi Arabia’s economic recovery gathered pace in Q2 and we think that GDP growth will accelerate further over the coming quarters as oil output rises and fiscal stimulus supports stronger activity in... 1st October 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Aug.) Saudi inflation was unchanged between July and August but we still expect it to rise a little over the rest of this year as underlying price pressures pick up. 25th September 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update What’s driving stronger Saudi capital outflows? Capital outflows from Saudi Arabia have picked up over the past 18 months, but the bulk of this seems to reflect ongoing foreign investments by the sovereign wealth fund. A bigger concern from the... 20th September 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Update We still expect the oil price to fall We think that the worst fears over supply will not be realised and that slower growth in global demand will prompt a significant fall in the oil price in 2019. However, logistical constraints on US... 13th September 2018 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (August) The latest data show that Saudi Arabia still has sufficient spare capacity to increase production if it needed to offset falls in output in Iran and Venezuela. Slower growth in demand and higher... 12th September 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Aug.) August’s PMIs for the Gulf economies suggest that fiscal stimulus has continued to support a recovery in Saudi Arabia, but weaker external demand is weighing on growth in the UAE. Meanwhile, Egypt’s... 4th September 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy accelerated at the end of Q2 Our GDP Tracker suggests that rising oil output supported a pick-up in growth in Saudi Arabia at the end of Q2. We expect that the economy will perform better than most anticipate over the next twelve... 29th August 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Jul.) Saudi inflation edged up in July on the back of stronger food inflation, although underlying price pressures eased. We expect that headline inflation will rise a little further over the rest of this... 28th August 2018 · 1 min read
Energy Update Does the Aramco float matter for oil prices? Whether the Saudi Aramco float actually happens or not should make little difference to the oil market. After all, it is now clear that Saudi Arabia is no longer intent on artificially boosting prices... 23rd August 2018 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (July) The latest data show that Saudi Arabia still has plenty of room to increase production if it needed to offset falls in Iran and Venezuela. As such, the group’s production should continue to rise, at... 13th August 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jul.) Last month’s PMI data for the Gulf provide further evidence that higher oil prices and recent fiscal measures are supporting robust growth in the non-oil sector. Elsewhere, Egypt’s survey suggests... 13th August 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi growth plateaued in Q2, but pick-up now underway Our GDP Tracker suggests that economic growth in Saudi Arabia plateaued in the first two months of Q2. But rising oil output is now providing a boost to the recovery and we expect that GDP growth will... 31st July 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Jun.) Saudi inflation fell to 2.1% y/y in June as the effects of last year’s “sin” taxes faded and housing inflation fell deeper into negative territory. But there are signs that broader price pressures are... 25th July 2018 · 1 min read
OPEC Watch OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (June) We think that OPEC’s production is likely to rise significantly over the next couple of months. That said, it could fall back later in the year as output from Iran is curtailed and Venezuelan... 11th July 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy lost momentum at the start of Q2 Our GDP Tracker suggests that Saudi Arabia’s economy slowed a touch in April, but we think that this will prove temporary. Growth is likely to pick-up sharply over the coming months as the Kingdom... 11th July 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi emerges from recession, recovery to gather pace Saudi Arabia’s economy pulled out of recession in Q1 and we expect the recovery to gain momentum over the coming quarters, supported by fiscal stimulus and a jump in oil output. 2nd July 2018 · 1 min read
