Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy starting a slow recovery The downturn in Saudi Arabia deepened at the end of last year, but the latest figures suggest that the economy returned to positive growth at the beginning of 2018. 4th April 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi Tadawul rally to run out of steam Saudi Arabia’s stock market has jumped in recent weeks on the back of growing hopes that it will be upgraded to “emerging market” status by the index compiler FTSE Russell. But past experience shows... 27th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Feb.) Inflation in Saudi Arabia edged down to 2.9% y/y last month but it remained much higher than the rates recorded in late-2017 due to the impact of recent tax hikes and subsidy cuts. We expect inflation... 21st March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Saudi royal tour highlights reform and geopolitical risks Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MbS) is in the midst of a global tour, which has highlighted the challenges facing his Vision 2030 economic reforms as well as ongoing... 15th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi Aramco IPO delay to have little near-term impact Reports that the initial public offering of Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Aramco, will be delayed until next year are not a major surprise given the complexity of the transaction. The delay... 12th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy moving towards recovery It looks like Saudi Arabia’s economy turned the corner in late 2017 and, while the early data from the start of this year have been disappointing, a recovery should still get underway. 6th March 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update New Saudi bankruptcy law a step in the right direction Saudi Arabia’s new bankruptcy law, which was approved by King Salman last month, will make it easier to deal with the fallout from corporate failures and, through improving access to credit, support... 1st March 2018 · 5 mins read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Jan.) The sharp rise in Saudi inflation in January was almost entirely the result of various austerity measures that came into effect at the start of this year. That said, a change to the base year of the... 26th 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 Saudi economy turning the corner The latest data suggest that the worst of the downturn in the Saudi economy had passed in late 2017 and a recovery should get underway over the coming months. The limited evidence so far suggests that... 12th February 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Saudi recovery on the way – but relief to be short-lived Saudi Arabia’s economy should pull out of recession this year as the drag from the oil sector fades and fiscal policy is loosened. But the relief is likely to prove short-lived and, in contrast to the... 23rd January 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Dec.) Saudi inflation remained subdued at the end of last year but the recent introduction of a new value-added tax and a raft of administered price hikes will push inflation up sharply, to more than 6% y/y... 23rd January 2018 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi 2018 budget unveils modest fiscal loosening The Saudi budget released this afternoon showed that the government has already started to loosen fiscal policy and will continue to do so in 2018. This is a more accommodative stance than we had... 19th December 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Focus Saudi politics emerges as key economic risk Saudi politics has been a staid affair for decades, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s launch of an anti-corruption crackdown and his ratcheting up of tensions with Iran herald a period of greater... 12th December 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi downturn deepens in Q3, but close to a bottom Our GDP Tracker suggests that Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted at a steeper pace in Q3 than in Q2. However, the worst may soon be over. 25th October 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Regional growth slows further The raft of GDP data released over the past month showed that growth across the Middle East & North Africa continued to slow in Q2. Our weighted-average measure of regional GDP expanded by 1.4% y/y in... 20th October 2017 · 1 min read
