Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Takeaways from MbS’s interview Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave a rare TV interview this week and hinted that some of the government’s recent fiscal tightening may be unwound, which would boost the economic... 29th April 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi privatisation, UAE TESS extended, Tunisian politics The Saudi government is speeding up its privatisation drive, which will help to finance the budget deficit. But the continued reliance on the Public Investment Fund to drive investment risks... 22nd April 2021 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Iran nuclear deal, Egypt in the GBI-EM, vaccine worries Hopes of a positive start to talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal were dampened after Iran announced plans to increase uranium enrichment, highlighting that negotiations have a long way to go. If... 15th April 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Jordan’s royal tumult, OPEC+ surprise, UAE’s vaccines The royal turmoil in Jordan this week couldn’t come at a worse time for the economy and, if corruption allegations spur unrest, this would raise serious fears over the country’s poor external and... 8th April 2021 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi investment plans, UAE vaccine, Jordan-IMF The Shareek investment program launched in Saudi Arabia this week may help diversification efforts, but there is a risk it leads to a misallocation of resources that damages longer-run growth... 1st April 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Oman and Bahrain fiscal woes, Egypt SMEs, Suez Canal Bahrain and Oman appear to be taking contrasting approaches to fiscal austerity but, in both cases, we think that further assistance from the rest of Gulf will be needed to keep dollar pegs intact... 25th March 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Lebanon crisis, Saudi privatisation law, vaccine latest The long-running crisis in Lebanon hit a fresh low this week and, with the formation of a new government nowhere in sight, conditions are unlikely to improve any time soon. Elsewhere, the passing of a... 18th March 2021 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi oil attacks, PIF loan, Egyptian bond yields The recent attacks directed at Saudi oil infrastructure did not leave any meaningful damage, but they did push up global oil prices earlier this week and highlighted the lingering risk to the economic... 11th March 2021 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly OPEC+ meeting, Oman loan, vaccine latest The OPEC+ meeting could see the group opt to roll over its production cuts into April (rather than easing quotas) which would push back the recovery in GDP growth in the Gulf. Even so, the drag from... 4th March 2021 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Iran nuclear deal, Kuwaiti budget, Lebanon vaccine President Biden’s administration has taken the first steps to try and revive the Iran nuclear deal and, while there remain major hurdles, this could put downward pressure on oil prices. This would add... 25th February 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi HQ demands, oil prices, Morocco vaccine hope Saudi Arabia’s “Programme HQ”, unveiled this week, aims to entice more foreign firms to the Kingdom, but the plan is ambiguous in many areas and does not support some of the government’s key economic... 18th February 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Oil price rise, Saudi law codification The price of Brent crude has risen to its highest levels in over year this past week and, if this is sustained as we expect, the Gulf countries will benefit as OPEC+ eases its production quotas and... 11th February 2021 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Kuwait budget, COVID-19 restrictions, Egypt rate cut? Kuwait’s budget laws have created problems financing the deficit that are now reaching a crunch point, but it seems most likely that the government will be able to get around these. Elsewhere, as... 4th February 2021 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly SAMA shakeup, UAE banks, latest on COVID-19 The change of governor at the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) adds to the signs that the government will lean more heavily on SAMA to support its efforts to diversify investments and the Saudi economy... 28th January 2021 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Tunisian protests, US ‘green’ shift, Saudi vaccines Protests in Tunisia this week add to the challenges facing the government to put the public finances onto a sustainable footing. Elsewhere, US President Joe Biden has started to set out a greener... 21st January 2021 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Tunisia and the IMF, UAE COVID outbreak, “The Line” Tunisia’s government appears to be gearing up to secure a new IMF deal and, while fiscal consolidation will be among the Fund’s key conditions, it will prove difficult to implement. Elsewhere, the UAE... 14th January 2021 · 5 mins read
