01/03/2022
2021- Looking in the Rear-View Mirror
Globally equity returns were quite mixed.
Research, Comment and Analysis
01/03/2022
E-commerce predicted to increase by 30% by end of 2022
Requires legalizing new attractive laws given that the volume of e-commerce reached $100bln in 2021
12/30/2021
Qatar exchange houses' foreign currency purchase, sale moderates in 2020: QCB
Remittances to the top five countries also moderated but relatively slowly as compared to other countries resulting in modest increase in their share.
12/30/2021
Saudi banks’ credit to the private sector goes up by $3.4bln
In percentage terms, however, the increase was a marginal 0.6%
12/30/2021
Bitcoin slump? Yes, but ignore the crypto deniers
“For the third consecutive year, Bitcoin has outperformed both stocks and gold.”
12/29/2021
Saudi Central Bank’s assets go up by 2% in November to hit $504bln
Deposits with banks abroad was the main driver of this change as it rose by 19.9%
12/29/2021
Cost pressures and inflation to lift prices of consumer products
“Cost inflation is impacting every part of the value chain, but is especially pertinent in the categories of transport and freight, and raw materials,”
12/28/2021
Doha Bank secures $762.5 million syndicated loan
Fitch placed Doha Bank and other Qatari lenders on "rating watch negative" in October, citing increasing reliance on external funding and recent rapid asset growth.
12/28/2021
Qatar's banking sector demonstrates resilience, registers 'impressive' growth amid Covid-19 challenges
One area of particular focus was the support mechanism for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
12/28/2021
Saudi Arabia to finalise Riyadh 2030 strategy next year - state media
Saudi Arabia is investing $220bln to transform Riyadh into a global city by 2030, and expects to attract a similar amount of investment from the private sector
12/28/2021
About 72% of CEOs worried about losing their jobs in 2022
Supply chain, labour market and digitalisation topped executives’ list of concerns, survey shows
12/28/2021
90% of Mena employees feel optimistic about 2022, survey finds
More than half picked finding a new job as their top career-related resolution for next year, according to Bayt.com
12/27/2021
$2.8bn boost for National Bank of Egypt’s retail portfolio expansion
NBE’s customers deposits portfolio is valued at 2.3 trillion Egyptian pounds.
12/27/2021
World economy set to exceed $100 trillion for the first time next year: Economic wrap
The head of Norway’s wealth fund said that financial markets are set to experience weak returns in the next decade and that inflation is the main hurdle ahead.
12/27/2021
The insanely luxurious life of Dubai’s ruler even puts billionaires to shame.
It was an accurate picture of extravagance and sheer luxury.
12/23/2021
PIF’s $40bln investment plan to boost growth of startups in Saudi Arabia
According to Saudi Finance Minister, the MENA region’s largest economy is expected to post a surplus of $7.2bln in 2023 and $11.2bln in 2024
12/23/2021
UAE is the Middle East's most globalized country - report
Overall, the DHL Global Connectedness Index just declined very modestly in 2020 and is on track to rise in 2021
12/22/2021
Some investors turn cautious on Egypt's lucrative carry trade
This has made Egypt a favourite among emerging market investors since it undertook a wide-ranging reform programme under the auspices of the IMF in November 2016.
12/22/2021
Commercial Bank of Dubai PSC's investors will be pleased with their 3.6% return over the last five years
There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance.
12/21/2021
Fitch revises Oman's outlook to Stable; affirms at 'BB-'
The revision of the Outlook reflects actual improvements in, and the expected evolution of, key fiscal metrics including government debt/GDP and the budget deficit