Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi Arabia rejigging reform plans as opposition mounts Reports that the Saudi government is planning to dilute its reform plans may be the first sign that the power and influence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is starting to wane and that broader... 7th September 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Intrigue in the House of Saud Changes at the top of the royal family have paved the way for King Salman’s son, Mohammed bin Salman, to accede to the throne, with some suggesting that an abdication and succession could take place... 30th August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Qatar crisis reaches an impasse The diplomatic crisis between Qatar and regional powers seems to be in deadlock. Saudi Arabia and its allies revised their demands in July to something that appeared to be more palatable for Doha, but... 24th August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update MENA equities continue to struggle Equity markets across most of the emerging world have risen over the past month but those in the Middle East and North Africa have fallen back, continuing their underperformance this year. Stocks in... 23rd August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi downturn deepened in Q2 Our GDP Tracker suggests that the downturn in the Saudi economy deepened in the second quarter and we expect GDP to fall at an even steeper pace over the second half of the year. Over 2017 as a whole... 22nd August 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Saudi economy sees temporary recovery after Q1 slump Our GDP Tracker suggests that the pace of contraction in Saudi Arabia’s economy eased between March and April. However, that is likely to be temporary, and we expect Saudi GDP to fall at a steeper... 2nd August 2017 · 1 min read
Frontier Markets Wrap Frontier recovery still on track The recovery in frontier economies continued over the first half of this year. GDP growth averaged around 2.0% y/y in Q1, twice the rates seen in mid-2016. It would have been stronger still were it... 31st July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Worst fears over Qatar crisis fade Diplomatic efforts have failed to bring an end to the stand-off between Qatar and the so-called Anti-Terror Quartet (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain). Encouragingly, though, there are signs that... 21st July 2017 · 1 min read
Energy Update Four key risks facing the oil market The oil market’s attention is firmly on rising production in the US and the outlook for stocks there. However, there are a number of risks elsewhere which are potentially being overlooked and which... 20th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia Consumer Prices (Jun.) Saudi inflation remained in negative territory last month, although the introduction of new “sin” taxes on sugary drinks and tobacco caused the rate of decline ease. And there are reasons to think... 18th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update What explains the continued slide in Saudi Arabia’s FX reserves? Saudi Arabia’s official foreign exchange reserves have continued to decline sharply, despite the marked improvement in the current account position over the past year or so. This has raised concerns... 17th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economics Update Are we witnessing the end of the GCC? A threat by regional powers to expel Qatar from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has sparked fears that the group could be disbanded. A complete breakup of the GCC seems highly unlikely but, even if... 12th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Economic Outlook Regional slowdown approaching a trough The slowdown in the Middle East and North Africa should bottom out in the second half of this year and growth is likely to strengthen in 2018-19. In the Gulf, the hit to headline GDP growth from OPEC... 5th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Whole Economy PMIs (Jun.) June’s PMI data suggest that Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy has lost a bit of steam, but this probably partly reflected a deterioration in sentiment on back of last month’s dip in oil prices. The... 4th July 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Chart Pack Politics rocks the Gulf Political developments have dominated the news in the MENA region this month. In Qatar, financial markets have sold off amid a diplomatic spat with regional powers. So far, though, the broader... 30th June 2017 · 1 min read
Middle East & North Africa Data Response Saudi Arabia GDP (Q1) Saudi Arabia’s economy recorded its first outright contraction since the global financial crisis in Q1, driven by the impact of oil production cuts. The contraction is likely to deepen over the rest... 30th June 2017 · 1 min read
