Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Bahrain gets Gulf support, new gas discovery in Egypt? The announcement on Wednesday that Bahrain is in talks with the other Gulf countries over financial support reinforces our view that, despite recent worries in the markets, its dollar peg won’t be... 28th June 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Egypt subsidy cuts, Saudi upgrade, OPEC meeting Hikes to fuel prices announced by the Egyptian government over the past week mean that the central bank will refrain lowering interest rates at its upcoming meeting. Meanwhile, growing tensions within... 21st June 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s easing cycle to resume later this year A further sharp fall in Egyptian inflation last month has strengthened the case for further interest rate cuts. But policymakers seem hesitant to loosen policy against the backdrop of upcoming subsidy... 11th June 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: near-term outlook is bright Egypt’s economy has weathered the fallout from the pound’s devaluation in late-2016 and, as fiscal consolidation slows and inflation and interest rates drop back, growth should remain robust over the... 23rd May 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s easing cycle takes a pause The Egyptian central bank’s decision to keep interest rates on hold, rather than cut them again, comes on the back of a pick-up in underlying price pressures as well as the recent sell-off in EM... 17th May 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Apr.) The further fall in Egyptian inflation in April – to 13.1% y/y – should be enough to prompt the central bank to continue its easing cycle next week. We have pencilled in another 100bp reduction in the... 10th May 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s current account deficit to narrow further The narrowing in Egypt’s current account deficit has further to run, supported by a recovery in the tourism sector and strong export growth. This will help to limit downward pressure on the pound and... 19th April 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Mar.) The further decline in Egyptian inflation last month, to 13.3% y/y, means the central bank will continue its easing cycle when it next meets in mid-May. We have pencilled in another 100bp reduction in... 10th April 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: what to watch for as al-Sisi’s second term begins A victory for Egypt’s President al-Sisi in this week’s presidential election was never in doubt and attention will now shift to any changes to key policymaking positions. Mr. al-Sisi begins his second... 29th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Egypt: what to expect from al-Sisi’s second term? Egypt’s President al-Sisi is certain to emerge victorious in next week’s election and will begin his second term just as the economy is about to enjoy a cyclical upturn in growth. Beyond the next few... 21st March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Feb.) The further sharp fall in Egyptian inflation last month, to 14.4% y/y, should be enough to persuade the central bank to cut interest rates by a further 100bp at its monetary policy meeting this month... 8th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt’s easing cycle to be larger than most expect The Egyptian central bank’s easing cycle, which started last night, is likely to result in larger interest rate cuts than most anticipate. We expect an additional 650bp of rate cuts by the end of 2019... 16th February 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Market turmoil fails to derail Egypt’s dollar bond sale Egypt defied the recent turmoil in global financial markets and issued $4bn of international bonds earlier this week. The sale was three times oversubscribed and the issuance was split into three... 15th February 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Egypt: private sector credit to support pick-up in growth Bank lending to Egypt’s private sector has been weak for a number of years as the government has leaned on local banks to purchase government bonds, crowding out credit to the rest of the economy. But... 14th February 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Jan.) The further sharp decline in Egyptian inflation in January, to 17.1% y/y, paves the way for the central bank to embark on an easing cycle at its monetary policy meeting next week. And further ahead... 8th February 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Egypt Consumer Prices (Dec.) A further sharp drop in Egyptian inflation in December means that the central bank is likely to embark on an easing cycle at the next monetary policy meeting in February. We expect inflation and... 10th January 2018 · 1 min read
