“When the economic crisis hits the elite, it means the suffering is all over the place,” said Malak Rostom, the vice president of the student union. “If we can’t afford it, we can tell how much other people are suffering.” Continue reading the main story Some Egyptians may sneer at the problems of the children of middle- and upper-class families, worried about tuition increases that dwarf the […]
UK retail sales grew rapidly in October as consumers — yet to experience the impact of the weaker currency — continued to spend and colder weather boosted clothing sales. The seasonally adjusted volume of sales was 1.9 per cent higher in October than in September, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday. Sales were boosted by strong growth in clothing and footwear as the end of […]
Thursday 08:30 GMT. European and US equity gauges are subdued as government bond yields dip from multi-month highs and the dollar stalls after hitting its strongest level since 2003. Following a muted Asia-Pacific session — encapsulated by Japan’s Nikkei 225 closing unchanged — index futures suggest the S&P 500 will dip 1 point to 2,176 when the opening bell rings later in New York, leaving the Wall […]
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Eight hospitals bombed in the past week, five of them within the last 48 hours. Food stores running out of supplies. Scores of people killed in a single day. By Wednesday night, it was clear that the escalation feared for weeks in rebel-held parts of northern Syria was underway, as Russian and Syrian government warplanes carried out a second straight day of intense bombardment. […]
16 November 2016 The success story of the outdoor agricultural show, Agritech Expo, is about to expand to Tanzania with the inaugural farming B2B platform taking place in the agri-hub of Arusha in January. Says Agritech Expo Tanzania event director Yolanda dos Santos: “continued agriculture economic growth in Tanzania has awoken the need to facilitate an enabling environment where suppliers, farmers of all scales and industry professionals […]
Since last week’s US elections, emerging market assets have been spooked by the possibility of higher US interest rates and greater trade protectionism. That this should result in sudden and broad-based losses for holders of all types of EM investments — including equities, local debt, external bonds and currencies — should not come as a great surprise. What is unusual, however, is for such large losses to […]
Muscat, November 17, 2016 In line with its objective to continue to enhance customer experience and touch-points across the country, Bank Sohar has further expanded its ATM network with the introduction of a new off-site ATM in Azaiba. The new ATM, located at the Mars Hypermarket, will offer greater banking convenience to customers in the area as well as to those who shop at the location. Highlighting […]
By Masayuki Kitano and Lisa Twaronite | SINGAPORE/TOKYO SINGAPORE/TOKYO The dollar caught its breath on Thursday, after charging to a 13-1/2 year high against a basket of currencies on bets the Trump administration will adopt inflationary policies, while the yen sagged after a Bank of Japan bond-buying operation. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against six major rival currencies, eased 0.1 percent to 100.32 .DXY, after […]
Rio Tinto has fired Alan Davies, chief executive of its energy and minerals division, and Debra Valentine, the head of legal affairs, after reviewing a $10.5m payment made for advisory services on a giant iron project in Guinea. Last week, the FTSE 100 mining company suspended Mr Davies and announced the resignation of Ms Valentine after contacting regulators about the payment of $10.5m to François Polge de […]
Amid his display cases of gold coins and jewellery, Suresh Jain was in bullish spirits as he considered Indian households’ traditionally strong demand for the precious metal. “There is no change,” said the 55-year-old owner of BJ Jain Jewellers, in Mumbai’s Zaveri gold bazaar. “Gold is a need of the people. It is not a luxury item; it is essential.” Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is putting […]
SINGAPORE Crude oil futures dropped on Thursday after official inventory reports indicated a larger-than-expected build in U.S. oil stocks. Crude inventories in the United States rose by 5.3 million barrels in the week to Nov. 11, compared with expectations for an increase of 1.5 million barrels. The climb in inventories was mainly due to higher imports that averaged 910,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to data released […]
16 November 2016 H.E. Sheikh Fahad Bin Mohamed Bin Jabor Al-Thani, Chairman of Doha Bank, disclosed that the Board of Directors has resolved in its meeting held on 16/11/2016 to submit a recommendation to the Extraordinary General Assembly of the shareholders that will be held in March 2017 to increase the capital of the bank during the 1st half of 2017 by 20% to meet the bank’s […]
Global investor expectations of inflation have surged to their highest level in more than a decade, according to a survey of money managers that underlines how Donald Trump’s election as US president has electrified financial markets. More than 80 per cent of those surveyed this month by Bank of America Merrill Lynch believe that the global level of prices will rise over the next 12 months. Although […]
NEW YORK JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) shares dropped to a session low as volume jumped late in the trading session on Wednesday after Fox Business Network reporter Maria Bartiromo tweeted that the bank’s chief executive Jamie Dimon might get the Treasury Secretary position and a “big meeting” was planned on Thursday. Bartiromo tweeted she was “hearing” Dimon will get the position under President-elect Donald Trump with […]
Wednesday 17:00 GMT. US and European stocks were softer as the dollar hit a 13-year high and bond yields eased off multi-month peaks, as investors reined in bets that US president-elect Donald Trump’s pledge of infrastructure spending and tax cuts would accelerate inflation. In Europe, Germany’s Dax fell 0.7 per cent as shares in Bayer fell 4.2 per cent after the drugmaker raised €4bn to pay for […]
A popular measure of the dollar climbed to its highest level in more than 13 years, propelled by the expectation of rising US interest rates, the expectation of significant fiscal stimulus and concerns about the rise of populist forces in Europe. The DXY, an index that measures the dollar against a basket of its main peers and primarily weighted to the euro, gathered pace on Wednesday, rising […]
DUBAI // Indian expatriates appealed to their government for enough time to get home and deposit the now-defunct 500 and 1,000-rupee notes. Last week the government of prime minister Narendra Modi scrapped high-denomination banknotes in an attempt to tackle corruption and tax evasion, setting a December 30 deadline to exchange old bills. India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, said those unable to deposit banknotes in […]
NEW YORK If newly elected U.S. officials were to reduce federal corporate taxes by 20 percent, Citigroup Inc (C.N) could have to take a $4 billion charge to profits to reflect lower values for its deferred tax assets, Citi’s chief financial officer said on Wednesday. However a charge of that size and nature would not hurt the amount of capital that Citigroup reports to regulators under rules […]
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank by assets, has become a settlement bank for the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX), the exchange said on Tuesday, allowing more investors to clear transactions in yuan. ICBC becomes the second Chinese bank to join DGCX’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Dubai Commodities Clearing Corporation, as a clearing and settlement bank. Bank of China became a member in […]
And yet it does. Among those bothered is Lod’s mayor, Yair Revivo, who is Jewish and announced last month that the city would broadcast the Shema, a central prayer that begins “Hear O Israel,” to counter the mosques’ call. Continue reading the main story The first of Islam’s five daily prayers begins before dawn, noted Col. Motti Yogev, a member of Parliament who introduced the new ban. […]
Wednesday 09:20 GMT. European stocks are tracking a mostly positive showing in Asia as Wall Street eyes record highs on hopes the Trump administration’s pledge of infrastructure spending and tax cuts will boost the US economy. The dollar and government bond yields are a touch firmer, keeping gold and industrial commodity prices in check. After the FTSE Asia-Pacific equity index rose 0.6 per cent, the pan-European Stoxx […]
Commercial banks in the Gulf could lose their ability to have dollar trades cleared through the US banking system, increasing risks for them, the UAE’s central bank governor has warned. Mubarak Rashid al-Mansouri told a financial conference that US and European banks were continuing to scale back their relationships with Gulf banks because foreign regulators were requiring them to do more due diligence on customers, raising costs […]
At the end of last week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand cut interest rates. It could yet prove the last central bank to do so in the current cycle. For an inkling of why, look no further than the US government bond market. Treasuries are enduring their worst sell-off since the taper tantrum of 2013, when then Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke first signalled the end […]
|By Matein Khalid| Donald Trump’s shock win will have a profound impact on the GCC economic constellation via multiple feedback loops. His economic policies mean a much higher US dollar, anathema to GCC economies since it correlates with stock/property market crashes, banking stress and oil slumps. This is the macroeconomic linkage due to the GCC US dollar peg whose lessons the region learnt the hard way in […]
