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Morocco: riding the EV wave Morocco’s domestic auto industry has boomed over the past decade and is drawing investment from major firms in Europe and China. With plans to more than double output in the coming years, the sector is likely to provide a …
13th June 2024
Inflation hits slowest pace in over a year Egypt’s headline inflation dropped back from 32.5% y/y in April to 28.1% y/y, the lowest outturn since the start of 2023. Inflation is likely to rise again in June and July due to government price hikes, …
10th June 2024
UAE emerges as clear winner from OPEC+ decision The decision by OPEC+ to keep oil production lower this year means that GDP growth across the Gulf will be a little weaker than we had previously expected. However, the UAE came away from the meeting the …
6th June 2024
At long last, OPEC+ outlined a plan on Sunday for when and how members would unwind the large production curbs currently in place. We assume that this plan is followed th rough and that output gradually increases from October, pushing the crude market …
4th June 2024
This response has been updated with additional analysis of the UAE's May release. Gulf continues to lead the way as Egypt shows positive signs May’s batch of PMIs showed that private non-oil sectors have remained a point of strength in the Gulf economies …
The decision by OPEC+ to keep oil production lower over the rest of this year means that oil sectors in the Gulf will grow more slowly than we had previously anticipated and we have revised down our GDP growth forecasts for this year and next. The …
3rd June 2024
Stick or twist for OPEC+ Oil markets are gearing up for Sunday’s OPEC+ meeting which looks set to be a close call on how the group decides to take forward oil policy. OPEC+ has reduced its oil output by 3.2mn bpd since October 2022, but oil prices have …
30th May 2024
Low oil output in the Gulf has constrained economic growth so far this year and the upcoming OPEC+ meeting will prove pivotal to the outlook over the rest of this year. Elsewhere in Middle East and North Africa, external financial support has mostly …
29th May 2024
US pulling Saudi back from China’s orbit US officials this week suggested that a mooted grand deal with Saudi Arabia could be signed off in the coming weeks. This would redraw how the Kingdom aligns itself in a fracturing global economy. Jake Sullivan, …
23rd May 2024
After exiting recession in Q1, Saudi Arabia’s economy should continue to expand over the rest of this year on the back of strong private non-oil growth and higher oil output. But next month’s OPEC meeting is likely to be a close call and if the group (led …
22nd May 2024
The death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi yesterday creates greater uncertainty over the succession planning for the next Supreme Leader. But, taking a step back, the balance of political power within Iran means that there is unlikely to be a major …
20th May 2024
Saudi’s gigaprojects stick or twist moment Comments from Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan this week have added to the growing discourse of whether the Kingdom can afford, both literally and figuratively, to continue with its vast suite …
16th May 2024
This note answers some of the most frequently asked questions that we received from clients during a recent online briefing about the latest US tariffs on China. Watch the original briefing here . What has been announced? Yesterday was the end of a …
15th May 2024
Egypt’s shift back toward economic orthodoxy will result in near-term economic pain, but it could also pave the way for faster economic growth over a longer horizon. Part of that will rest on Egypt capitalising on its improved external competitiveness, …
Inflation holds steady but may pick up in H2 Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate was unchanged at 1.6% y/y in April and, while we think that there may be a slight acceleration at the start of Q3, the bigger picture is that inflation in the Kingdom is …
The dissolution of Kuwait’s parliament for the fourth time in two years highlights political infighting that has held back the economy for years. While much remains uncertain, there is now a clear path for fiscal policy to be loosened and help to unlock …
13th May 2024
Is the UAE set to butt heads with OPEC again? The UAE‘s announcement that its oil production capacity has been raised ahead of schedule provides further evidence of its desire to raise actual output. But with growing rumours that OPEC may hold off from …
9th May 2024
This webpage has been updated with additional analysis, as well as a Chart and Table of key data. Inflation continues to tick down after orthodox shift Egypt’s headline inflation rate slowed from 33.3% y/y in March to 32.5% y/y in April and we think that …
Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit widened further at the start of this year and, for now at least, the government seems comfortable with maintaining the loose fiscal stance and issuing more debt. If oil prices fall back further as we expect, however, a return …
7th May 2024
Is Saudi Arabia moving away from China’s orbit? Reports that the US and Saudi Arabia are close to a new security pact would, if confirmed, cause us to re-evaluate our view of the Kingdom’s alignment in a fracturing global economy. Prior to the start of …
2nd May 2024
This interactive dashboard allows you to explore all of our forecasts and key data for economies in the Middle East & North Africa. If you have subscriber access to the data underlying this redesigned dashboard, you can download it via the menu options in …
This Rapid Response has been updated with additional analysis, as well as a chart and table of key data. Growth to strengthen over 2024 Saudi Arabia’s flash estimate of GDP showed that the economy exited recession in Q1 and we expect the recovery to …
1st May 2024
All the signs suggest that a second Trump administration would take a more protectionist approach to trade. Export demand in Mexico, East Asia and ASEAN would be particularly hard hit by a universal US import tariff or a dollar devaluation, and those …
29th April 2024
Stalling privatisation drive a blot on Egypt’s reforms Having previously pledged to reinvigorate its state privatisation drive, Egyptian officials have significantly pared back their targets. This could remain the one demerit on its IMF report card. …
25th April 2024
The policy shifts underway in Turkey, Nigeria, Argentina and Egypt have ticked a lot of the right boxes so far, but it will take years for the full economic benefits to materialise and require policymakers to remain committed to reforms. We’re most …
24th April 2024
The escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran has largely been shrugged off by the oil market and risk premia in the Gulf remain low. Even so, growth will remain weak in the Gulf this year. There will be bigger macro consequences from …
The UAE’s economy outperformed the other Gulf economies in 2023 and we think that this outperformance will continue this year. While we are still waiting for the full 2023 GDP data from the UAE, we can piece together the data from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the …
23rd April 2024
Gulf find itself in a bind if conflict escalates The ratcheting up of tensions in the Middle East between Iran and Israel over the past couple of weeks has raised concerns about a broader regional conflict. For now, though, it seems unlikely that the Gulf …
18th April 2024
Saudi Arabia has yet to be able to raise foreign direct investment towards its Vision 2030 goals, prompting a turn to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) to prop up investment spending. Unless the government makes major strides to improve the local business …
17th April 2024
Inflation edges down and will remain low Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate slowed to 1.6% y/y in March on the back of weaker food and non-food inflation. While there’s likely to be a slight bump up in inflation in the second half of this year, the …
15th April 2024
There are clearly many ways in which tensions between Iran and Israel could escalate and push up oil prices following the Iranian drone strike at the weekend. But the risk that a conflict involving Iran disrupts oil production in the Gulf states is much …
How is Egypt’s policy shift one month on It’s now been just over a month since Egypt’s “ Super Wednesday ” policy shift and, while it is still early days, the signs so far are positive and this time might be different to past policy U-turns. After …
12th April 2024
Oman and Bahrain both recorded sharp increases in their government debt-to-GDP ratios in the second half of the last decade, but while Oman’s public finances have improved dramatically since then, Bahrain’s have not. In Bahrain, significant tightening …
8th April 2024
Inflation eases even after currency plunge Egypt’s headline inflation rate slowed to 33.3% y/y in March despite the near 40% fall in the pound’s official exchange rate last month. That said, the effects of the currency fall will continue to feed through …
The threat of an outright conflict between Iran and Israel is at its highest point since the war in Gaza began. A full-blown war would not only have major repercussions for Iran’s own economy, but the spillovers into oil markets could have a significant …
4th April 2024
After a very weak 2023, Saudi Arabia’s economy should see a modest recovery this year as the Kingdom’s non-oil economy sustains its strong momentum and more than offsets the drag from the extended oil output cuts. Last month, the General Authority for …
3rd April 2024
A soft end to Q1, but the Gulf economies still going strong March’s batch of PMIs for the region showed that, despite a minor tick down in the survey readings, the Gulf states enjoyed a strong start to 2024. Saudi Arabia’s survey edged down from 57.2 in …
Egypt policy shift to get final seal of approval Egypt’s recent policy shift has been met with a lot of optimism among investors but it will not be painless and economic growth will be sluggish this year and next. And there is a lot more work to do to …
28th March 2024
The past month has seen Egypt’s economic crisis turn around with the devaluation of the pound, aggressive interest rate hike, and unlocking of a new IMF deal. There have been false dawns before, but this shift back toward economic orthodoxy feels more …
27th March 2024
Overview – Low oil output in the Gulf will constrain GDP growth over the first half of this year. But as this reverses, growth will pick up and by more than most expect. Elsewhere in Middle East and North Africa, external financial support has mostly …
25th March 2024
Egypt: appreciation for the CBE’s policy shift After the “Super Wednesday” devaluation on 6 th March, the pound has appreciated over the past week or so and it appears as though officials have (so far) stuck to their pledge to let the currency move more …
21st March 2024
We hosted an online briefing to discuss EM financial risks in more detail. Watch the recording here . Our risk indicators are presented as an interactive EM dashboard on our website here . The past few years have sharpened investors’ focus on assessing …
20th March 2024
Higher inflation a cost to Egypt’s policy shift The fall in the Egyptian pound last week has raised concerns of a fresh surge in inflation, which wasn’t helped by February’s strong reading. However, while we may see another acceleration in March, we think …
14th March 2024
Inflation nudges up as rents continue to rise The increase in Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate to 1.8% y/y in February is the highest reading since August and it could creep to above 2.0% y/y in the coming quarters. The bigger picture, however, is …
The raft of policy reforms announced by the Egyptian authorities yesterday, including a devaluation of the pound and new IMF deal, has put the economy on a path out of its current crisis. There have been false dawns before, but we think that momentum is …
7th March 2024
The announcement of an agreement over a new IMF package for Egypt, coming on the back of the rate hike and devaluation earlier today, represents a shift towards more orthodox policymaking. While it is still early, Egypt now appears to be on the path out …
6th March 2024
We hosted a Drop-in following the announcement that can be viewed on demand here . Central Bank of Egypt shifts back towards orthodoxy The announcement minutes ago from the Central Bank of Egypt that it has devalued the pound and hiked interest rates by a …
Gulf non-oil sectors strengthen in Q1; Egypt’s economy knocked by Israel-Hamas spillovers February’s batch of PMIs from the Middle East and North Africa continued to show that the Gulf’s private non-oil sectors have started 2024 on a strong footing. But …
5th March 2024
Morocco’s improving balance of payments position and the sharp slowdown in inflation should provide the central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), with the confidence to take the next step toward a fully floating dirham. We think the currency will appreciate …
4th March 2024
Even with Ras el Hekma deal, Egypt needs the IMF Headlines in the past week have been dominated by Egypt’s deal to sell the Ras el Hekma project to the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, ADQ, to provide crucial foreign currency inflows. But, even with this …
29th February 2024
