|By TAP Staff| A shortage of prime office space in Dubai, which is being underpinned by robust demand, has translated into strong upward pressure on rents across the city, and a rapidly diminishing supply of Grade A space in more centrally located submarkets and freezones, according to the latest research from international real estate consultancy Cluttons. Cluttons’ Dubai Winter 2014 Commercial Market Outlook report shows that during […]
A fresh drop in the price of oil looks likely to put more pressure on Sunday on stock markets in the Gulf, where investors appear to be waiting for the commodity to stabilise before opening new positions. Brent crude dropped nearly 3 percent and settled at below $62 a barrel on Friday after the International Energy Agency cut its outlook for demand growth in 2015. A plunge […]
Benchmark U.S. oil prices are poised to test $55 a barrel after a six-month rout pushed crude to the lowest in five years. West Texas Intermediate crude ended below $58 today for the first time since May 2009 after the International Energy Agency cut its global demand forecast for the fourth time in five months. Prices are down 46 percent from this year’s highest close of $107.26 […]
India wants to buy more rough diamonds directly from mining companies as the world’s biggest polisher of the gems seeks to bypass traditional dealers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on more major suppliers such as Russia’s OAO Alrosa to sell directly to India, which polishes 80 percent of the world’s diamonds, avoiding trading centers such as Antwerp and Dubai. Speaking alongside President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi […]
Sliding oil prices, leverage and sheer panic have exposed the fragility of Gulf equity markets just as they are becoming mainstream destinations for international investors. In May, MSCI upgraded Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to emerging-market status, drawing billions of dollars of new money to them. Saudi Arabia will open its bourse to direct foreign investment next year, which could draw tens of billions of dollars […]
Most stock markets in the Gulf fell sharply on Tuesday after oil prices hit five-year lows, triggering a fresh wave of panic selling of shares by local retail investors, though most fund managers and analysts think the region can cope comfortably with cheaper oil. Dubai’s market, traditionally the Gulf’s most volatile, tumbled 3.5 percent to 3,889 points, though it closed well above its intra-day low of 3,761 […]
Dubai family-owned conglomerate Al Habtoor Group has cast doubt over plans for an imminent initial share sale but expects revenues to more than double over the next five years helped by strong local economic growth, its chairman said on Tuesday. Speculation around a flotation of the group, which has interests in hospitality, retail and construction, has revived in recent months as the market for offerings in Dubai […]
|By TAP Staff| Dubai is the world’s eighth costliest city to stay in a hotel, with New York occupying the number one slot, according to a new compilation of accommodation index. The index, compiled by GoEuro.com, covers 150 cities and over 60,000 properties to understand the effect of new trends in accommodation on the hotel industry. The increasing popularity of vacation sharing and continued growth of the […]
Etisalat launches mobile billing for Windows app ABU DHABI, 6 days ago UAE’s leading telecommunications operator Etisalat in partnership with Microsoft has launched carrier billing for the Windows Phone Store app. It will allow Etisalat’s customers to charge their purchases directly to their monthly mobile bill or prepaid account, said a statement. Khaled ElKhouly, chief marketing officer at Etisalat UAE, said: “Our customers live fast-paced and busy […]
Most Gulf firms can prosper with $70 oil DUBAI, 6 days ago Plunging stock markets in the Gulf show investors are panicking about the prospect of $70 oil next year. But heavy state spending means most firms in the region, with the big exception of petrochemical producers, are likely to do just fine. The main Saudi stock index sank 4.8 per cent on Sunday, bringing its losses […]
Thriving UAE means plenty of opportunity for job seekers UAE firms plan big time hiring as economy looks up DUBAI, 7 days ago Seventy-four per cent of UAE companies claim they will either ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ be hiring in a year’s time, suggesting long-term growth and a positive outlook for the country’s economy, a report said. Meanwhile, 66 per cent of UAE firms have hired new employees […]
Visitors walk past by the Ilissos statue, a part of the collection of ‘The Parthenon Marbles’, also known as the ‘Elgin Marbles’ in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg Photo: ANATOLY MALTSEV/EPA By Boris Johnson 6:10AM GMT 08 Dec 2014 Follow The other day, I saw at close hand the bravery and professionalism of a Malaysia Airlines cabin crew as they grappled with a passenger who was being, […]
Oman’s stock market sank on Sunday after Standard & Poor’s cut its outlook for the country’s sovereign rating and local cement firms said natural gas prices would double – examples of the pain which the weaker Gulf oil exporters may face because of the slide in oil prices. Brent crude slipped 0.8 percent to $69.07 a barrel on Friday after Saudi Arabia slashed its oil prices for […]
Shuaa Capital’s executive chairman and board director, Sheikh Maktoum Hasher al-Maktoum, will step down from both roles in February, the Dubai-based investment bank said on Sunday. Maktoum will depart after the disclosure of its full-year results for 2014, Shuaa said in a statement. A member of Dubai’s ruling family, Maktoum served in his present capacity since May 2011. During his tenure, the firm underwent a significant turn-around […]
Dubai is confident that it will be able to raise equity and debt to finance all its huge development projects over the next five years despite the plunge in oil prices, the head of the emirate’s Department of Finance (DoF) said. “The government in its forthcoming budgets has enough headroom to fund the projects through a healthy debt-equity mix,” director-general Abdulrahman al-Saleh said. “In addition, DoF has […]
|By K Raveendran| India has raised tax rates on petrol and diesel, taking advantage of falling oil prices to bolster government revenues, which will help Narendra Modi’s government to tough fiscal deficit targets. The move has disappointed even the most ardent Modi fans, who would have expected the government to take advantage of the falling oil prices to reduce retail prices of petrol and diesel. But a […]
The latest entrant into Islamic finance is leading the industry in the new direction of socially responsible investment – which could even include the fight against Ebola. Last week an immunisation programme secured a $500 million issuance of Islamic bonds, or sukuk, in the largest debut issue ever by a global non-profit organisation, under a broader trend to use bond markets to fund development and humanitarian projects. […]
Dubai Aluminium’s (Dubal) $1.8 billion seven-year term loan pays an interest margin of 145 basis points (bps) over Libor, according to a banking source close to the deal. The three arranging banks Citigroup, Emirates NBD and Societe Generale, which fully underwrote the deal, launched the deal into syndication earlier this week. Banks have been invited to commit $200 million to the amortising loan for a 90 bps […]
Just days after Stephen Hawking, a preeminent British physicist, warned artificial intelligence (AI) could end mankind, MetaMind announced its new AI platform and an initial $8 million in funding from Khosla Ventures and Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff. MetaMind has developed what it calls “deep learning” software that combines natural language processing and computer vision to solve complex data problems. The technology’s goal is to pave […]
It looks like a piece of sculpture but it’s a humidifier that uses an energy efficient ultrasonic nebulizer to generate enough moisture for any room in your home. Auto-dimming LED lights indicate its operation and it powers down automatically when the water level depletes. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please […]
|By TAP Staff| The second edition of Royal India Luxury Show got under way in Dubai. The show provides glimpses of India’s royalty to visitors with the scions of some of the erstwhile princely states gracing the inaugural ceremony in royal attire. The event has participation from 22 Indian exhibitors representing travel, hospitality, leisure, luxury homes, fashion, weddings, jewellery and entertainment. The UAE offers immense growth opportunities […]
Oil market analysts are debating if oil will fall to $50. In North Dakota, prices are already there. Crude sold at the wellhead in the Bakken shale region in North Dakota fell to $49.69 a barrel on Nov. 28, according to the marketing arm of Plains All America (PAA) Pipeline LP. That’s down 47 percent from this year’s peak in June, and 29 percent less than the […]
Saudi Arabia will probably deepen discounts for crude supplies to Asia after leading OPEC to maintain the group’s output target amid a global battle for market share, according to a Bloomberg survey of traders. The world’s biggest oil exporter will announce January official selling prices to buyers in Asia this week, after lifting its Arab Light grade from the lowest level in almost six years a month […]
Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) has chosen three banks to arrange a $1.8 billion seven-year loan to help fund general operations, its first such facility in a number of years, three banking sources told Reuters on Wednesday. The firm has chosen Citigroup, Emirates NBD and Societe Generale to arrange the loan, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information is not public. The three banks have […]
