Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Egypt Interest Rate Announcement (May 2026) The Central Bank of Egypt left interest rates unchanged at 19.00% for a second consecutive meeting today and, so long as the Strait of Hormuz reopens relatively soon, officials will probably be... 21st May 2026 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Middle East and North Africa Chart Pack (May '26) The Gulf economies are set for their steepest contraction since the early 1980s this year. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to sharp falls in hydrocarbon production, even in those countries... 19th May 2026 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Deal to end the war edging closer? Hopes for an end to the Iran war have grown (again) in recent days. But there are lots of points of contention that will arise during the 30-day negotiation period and divisions within the Iranian... 7th May 2026 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Middle East and North Africa Chart Pack (Apr. '26) Our Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. The Iran war will result in sharp falls in GDP in the Gulf. The closure of the... 21st April 2026 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Ceasefire holding, negotiations ongoing The ceasefire between the US/Israel and Iran has largely held over the past week and there are growing hopes that it will be extended as talks continue to end the war. It’s unclear if, and how, the US... 16th April 2026 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Moving towards de-escalation?, Egypt‘s fuel-saving steps The Iran war seemed to be at a tipping point this time last week and recent developments provide, in the words of China’s foreign minister, “a glimmer of hope” that things are moving towards de... 26th March 2026 · 8 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Conflict will exert a heavy toll on the Gulf There remains enormous uncertainty over how the conflict in the Middle East will play out from here. But the scenarios we have laid out suggest the Gulf economies will almost certainly record negative... 12th March 2026 · 7 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Where might energy subsidy bills worsen fiscal strains? The sharp rise in energy prices threatens to raise the cost of energy subsidies across many emerging markets. Those governments with the largest subsidy bills also tend to be energy producers that... 11th March 2026 · 4 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Policy response leaves Egypt better placed to weather war Egypt hasn’t been involved directly in the conflict in the Middle East but it is one of the most vulnerable EMs to the indirect effects, especially higher energy prices and tighter global financial... 11th March 2026 · 3 mins read
Emerging Markets Economics Update Could higher energy prices trigger an EM crisis? The energy price shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East will worsen current account positions in net energy-importing EMs. But unlike recent energy shocks, the external balance sheets of most... 4th March 2026 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly US-Iran, OPEC+, Egypt tax plans, Kuwait’s Article IV The US and Iran resumed talks in Geneva today, but the build-up of US forces in the region means that the threat of strikes remains on the table. The associated risk to oil supply may lie behind... 26th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Middle East and North Africa Chart Pack (Feb. 2026) Our Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. The Middle East and North Africa is set for the fastest pace of GDP growth... 23rd February 2026 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Egypt cabinet reshuffle, Saudi Vision 2030 This week’s cabinet reshuffle in Egypt has largely kept the status quo as the government seeks to affirm to the IMF and foreign investors its commitment to macro orthodoxy, whilst changes alongside... 12th February 2026 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Egypt Interest Rate Announcement (Feb. 2026) The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) cut its overnight deposit rate by 100bp, to 19.00%, and sounded more confident that inflation will be brought back to target later this year. This reinforces our view... 12th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Jan. 2026) The fall in Egypt’s headline inflation rate from 12.3% y/y in December to 11.9% y/y in January, its weakest pace since September and second weakest since Q1 2022, means that the Central Bank of Egypt... 10th February 2026 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s current account deficit will continue to narrow The improvement in Egypt’s external competitiveness since the policy shift two years ago has supported a narrowing of the current account deficit and we think this has further to run, especially if... 9th February 2026 · 4 mins read
