Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly MbS’s Washington trip tips the balance in US’s favour Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the US this week secured security, nuclear, mineral, and AI deals which will pull the Kingdom back from China’s sphere of influence towards the US. 20th November 2025 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack (Nov. '25) Our Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack has been updated with our latest forecasts and calls to reflect key developments across the region. We expect the Middle East and North Africa to record very... 20th November 2025 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Shifting geopolitical allegiances, IMF to visit Egypt The meeting between Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Trump next week is widely expected to see the announcement of a new security deal and the US’s partnership in the... 13th November 2025 · 7 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Oct. 2025) Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate was unchanged at 2.2% y/y in October, remaining weak by other EM and Gulf standards, and we expect it to stay subdued as we head into 2026. 13th November 2025 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi’s worsening twin deficits reinforce need for austerity Saudi Arabia’s twin budget and current account deficits have widened on the back of low oil export receipts and this trend is likely to continue over the coming quarters. While the adjustment to low... 5th November 2025 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Middle East & North Africa PMIs (Oct. 2025) October’s batch of whole economy PMIs for the region showed a pick-up, suggesting that non-oil private sectors in the Gulf have continued to fare better than expected amid the backdrop of low oil... 4th November 2025 (Updated 5th November 2025) · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi Arabia’s FII: PIF and AI dominate the headlines Comments at the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia this week suggest that the Public Investment Fund will take a step back from driving investment in the Kingdom, paving the way for greater... 30th October 2025 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Saudi Arabia GDP (Q3 2025, Flash Estimate) Saudi Arabia’s economy grew by 1.4% q/q in Q3 according to this morning flash estimate, which translated into a pick-up in the year-on-year growth rate from 3.9% in Q2 to 5.0% - the fastest pace... 30th October 2025 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack (Oct. 2025) Our Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack has been updated with the latest data and our analysis of recent developments. We expect the Middle East and North Africa to record its fastest rate of GDP... 28th October 2025 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Saudi-US defence talks, Egypt-IMF deal, Morocco 2026 Budget The US and Saudi Arabia have stepped up security talks ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House next month. A full defence pact is unlikely to materialise, however, given... 23rd October 2025 · 7 mins read
Commodities Update US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil up the ante On the face of it, the announcement of sanctions by the US on Rosneft and Lukoil is a major escalation in the targeting of Russia’s energy sector and could be a big enough shock to flip the global oil... 23rd October 2025 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Israel-Hamas ceasefire, oil slides, Tunisia’s unorthodoxy persists The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has, so far, remained intact, which could bring positive spillovers for the likes of Egypt and Jordan. More importantly, however, the war has fundamentally... 16th October 2025 · 6 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi: fiscal tightening to drive growth slowdown in 2026 The Saudi economy has been boosted by the unwinding of oil output cuts this year and this will continue over the coming quarters, but a step up in fiscal consolidation efforts means that overall GDP... 15th October 2025 · 3 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update The geopolitical ramifications of the Gaza peace plan The war in Gaza has fundamentally re-shaped geopolitics in the Middle East. Iran and Russia (and, indirectly, China) are nursing blows to their power in the region, which has created space for the US... 15th October 2025 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Rapid Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Sep. 2025) Saudi Arabia’s headline inflation rate edged down from 2.3% y/y in August to 2.2% y/y in September, which remains weak by EM standards and, as we outlined in a Focus, we think that inflation will ease... 15th October 2025 · 2 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Weekly Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Egypt heads to Washington Israel and Hamas appear on the cusp of agreeing a long-awaited ceasefire agreement. If it holds, this puts the region on a path to end the war and removes key downside risks to the Middle East’s... 9th October 2025 · 8 mins read
