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Qatar ready to start shopping abroad again
Qatar may be about to head off on another high-profile shopping spree. As the FT reported this morning, the Qatar Investment Authority has expressed interest in buying part of the US Treasury’s stake...
View ArticleKuwait faces up to a “massive destruction of wealth”
Kuwait may be one of the richest countries in the world, but a large swathe of its financial sector is a basket case that would rival the worst of Wall Street. Encouraged by cheap debt, petrodollars...
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Trade winds blow Gulf investment to India
The trade winds of the Indian Ocean helped sailors move goods from the subcontinent to the Gulf and Africa. Despite strong commercial and labour links, there has been an historic mismatch in the amount...
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[Bric Food File] Gulf states look to secure their future overseas
By Andrew Whiffin and Andrew England The import-dependent Gulf states were left facing a troubling question when a food crisis sent the prices of staples such as rice and wheat soaring two years ago:...
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Kuwait’s Stock Exchange: gambling den no more?
Kuwait’s stock market may be one of the oldest and largest in the Arab world, but has long been synonymous with rampant market abuses such as insider trading and pump-and-dump trading by powerful...
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ME economies: the rough and the smooth
Quantifying the economic collateral damage from unrest in the Middle East might seem a grim task, but it’s not all bad news. The spike in oil prices provoked by political upheaval has boosted the rate...
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French Connection: calling China
Every company you talk to these days has a new strategy for emerging markets – but not French Connection. Stephen Marks, the company’s laconic chairman, sees potential for “growth everywhere” and no...
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Kuwait: political infighting delays economic development
As Kuwaitis went to the polls on Thursday, in the fourth parliamentary elections since 2006, they had little hope of an end to the political bickering which has persistently held back the economy of...
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Arab spring in London property
The Arab spring has turned into a ka-ching [£££] for London’s new-build residential property market, according to real estate consultants Jones Lang LaSalle. The value of Middle East investment in...
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Budget airlines: criss-crossing the Gulf
A Gulf-based budget airline might sound like a contradiction in terms. But as Camilla Hall reports, Flydubai is one of several carriers rapidly making low-cost travel a reality in the region. It may...
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Kuwait: reforms ignored in blame game
Nabil al-Fadel Another day, another minister resigns in oil-rich Kuwait. This time it was the deputy prime minister and finance minister Mustafa Shimali, who has held the top finance job since 2007. He...
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Master of eastern retail turns westward
Photo: Bloomberg For the Gulf resident who takes a morning shower with soap from The Body Shop, dons an H&M outfit and grabs a Starbucks skinny latte on the way to work, it may come as a surprise...
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Gulf countries confront bulging waistlines
This Ramadan, Gulf residents received text messages with fasting tips to caution against overeating. The problem of expanding waistlines, however, is far from seasonal. Kuwait, Qatar, The United Arab...
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IFC in the Middle East: short of partners
“Don’t forget, revolutions are expensive”, says Dimitris Tsitsiragos. He should know: his responsibilities as a vice president at the International Finance Corporation include north Africa and the...
View ArticleKuwait goes all out for foreign investors
Kuwait has introduced new corporate legislation as it tries to compete for foreign investment with its more successful regional peers, primarily the United Arab Emirates, write Camilla Hall and Simeon...
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Gulf states step up homegrown jobs push
Gulf states are intensifying their efforts to create jobs for nationals at the expense of expatriate workers as they face youth unemployment and pressure to prepare for a future less reliant on crude...
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Betting big on the “New Silk Road”
The Middle-Eastern Gulf states have had a huge swing towards Asia in trade but investment dinars have not followed to the same degree. Ahmad Al-Hamad is looking to change that. Asiya Investments is...
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High hopes for privatisation in Kuwait
Kuwait has long grappled with its electricity supply. Every summer offers a reminder that the gap between power generation capacity and demand is woefully tight. In 2010, the working day stopped at...
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Arab youth turn from “Arab spring” to starting businesses
Young Arabs are increasingly turning their backs on cushy public sector jobs in favour of working for private companies and starting their own businesses, a survey in 16 countries has found. There has...
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Guest post: Gulf economies well placed to cope with lower oil
By John Sfakianakis, Ashmore Group The Gulf economies are in a position of strength to weather the recent plunge in oil prices. Many are better cushioned than at previous times in their economic...
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