by James M. Dorsey The Middle East is at a crossroads. The coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout confronts regional leaders with a stark choice: dial down tensions to open the door toward cooperation in tackling existential challenges or risk ever more aggravated political and economic threats enhanced by a potential wave of social protest. A second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is raising its ugly head. […]
by James M. Dorsey Rejiggering security arrangements in the Gulf may be a more pressing issue than meets the eye. That is not good news for the Gulf states. It is also bad news for China, which could see the rug pulled out from under its studious effort to remain on the sidelines of the Middle East’s myriad conflicts. China and the Gulf states are in the same […]
By James M. Dorsey A decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC producers like Russia to temporarily end a price war and cut production amounts to a time-out rather than an end to what is likely to erupt at some point in the future as a tripartite war. More immediately, the decision averts a significant deterioration in relations between the United States and […]
Caption: Lose yourself in a Moroccan Paradise at the Es Saadi Resort Arabia is a beautiful and varied landscape, with diverse cultures and a rich history. It’s no surprise then that it’s home to some of the world’s most luxurious hotels. Whether it’s an opulently appointed Moroccan hideaway, a city centre Saudi palace or a relaxing beachside retreat in Oman, Arabia has something to offer every kind […]
Arabian Post Staff DP World, which recently announced delisting of its shares from Nasdaq Dubai, reported revenue growth of 36.1% and adjusted EBITDA increase of 17.7%, delivering profit of $1.3 billion, but without separate disclosures. Revenues were of $7,686 million, with a growth of 36.1% driven by acquisitions including P&O Ferries (UK), Topaz Energy & Marine (UAE) and the two terminals in Chile (Puerto Central and Puerto […]
Over the past few years the UAE has seen a boom in start-ups and online businesses. The influx of female entrepreneurs heading start-ups have systemically changed office culture, making it accessible for all genders, and giving a stronger voice to women in general. In fact, the UAE is considered one of the best markets for business women. Back in 2017 the UAE pledged $50 million to the […]
By Matein Khalid The US dollar is the traditional safe haven currency during times of geopolitical or financial stress even when the cause of a risk aversion spasm is ultimately American, such as the failure of Lehman Brothers in 2008, Obama’s epic budget battles with the Republicans in 2011 and the Trump White House’s drone hit on Iran’s most revered Revolutionary Guard commander on 3 January 2020. […]
By Arabian Post Staff Emaar Properties recorded net profit of AED 6.200 billion (US$ 1.688 billion) as compared to AED 6.139 billion (US$ 1.671 billion) in FY 2018. Revenues were worth AED 24.586 billion (US$ 6.694 billion) for 2019. An Emaar statement said the company maintained its positive performance in 2019 recording property sales in Dubai of AED 14.949 billion (US$ 4.070 billion). It attributed the performance […]
By Matein Khalid Thankfully, I was not in the global markets during the Black Death, the Great Plague and the Spanish flu pandemic but coronavirus cases have now crossed 40,000 infections and this is way beyond a local Wuhan outbreak. Despite the blowout 225,000 US January non-farm payrolls growth data, I am alarmed by the global recession SOS in the capital markets metrics I track. One, the […]
By Arabian Post Staff Emaar Malls announced a 5 per cent increase in revenue to AED 4.673 billion (US$ 1.272 billion) for 2019, compared to AED 4.446 billion (US$ 1.210 billion) in 2018. Overall net profit in 2019 amounted to AED 2.286 billion (US$ 622 million), similar to AED 2.230 billion (US$ 607 million) recorded for the previous year. Revenue grew by 4 per cent to AED […]
By James M. Dorsey Disclosures of taped phone calls between embattled former prime minister Najib Razak and a person believed to be United Arab Emirate crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed go a long way to explain Malaysian efforts to counter UAE and Saudi influence in the Muslim world. The disclosures are the latest incident in what have been complex, if not strained relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia […]
By Arabian Post Staff A surge in arrivals over the summer months accelerated Dubai’s tourism momentum, as the city welcomed 12.08 million international overnight visitors in the first nine months of 2019, according to the latest visitation figures released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The strong 4.3 per cent increase in volume growth compared to the same period last year was supported […]
By Matein Khalid I first encountered Lebanon as a teenager after the fabled Choueifat College opened its first UAE campus in Sharjah, fleeing the civil war in the Chouf. My ignorance of the country I was to know and love as my own patrie was monumental. When a classmate told me he was a Darzi, I assumed his father was a tailor since Darzi means “tailor” in […]
By Arabian Post Staff More than US$500 billion (Dh1.8 trillion) worth of family wealth will be passed on to the next generations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region within the next decade, experts at the 4th Wealth Arabia Summit (WAS) said on Tuesday. According to WealthX, a global intelligence solutions provider, more than US$15 trillion worth of family wealth will be passed over to the […]
By Matein Khalid I literally laughed when I heard that Goldman Sachs put a valuation range of $1.6 to $2.3 trillion on the Saudi Aramco IPO. One, a valuation range of $700 million only means the Goldie analyst bankers (deal promoters?) are clueless about what Saudi Aramco is really worth. Two, I cannot fathom how the financial markets will assign a valuation of 17 to 23 times […]
By Matein Khalid George Soros once observed “the big money in emerging markets is made when things go from Godawful to just plain awful”. So true. The point of maximum pessimism in an emerging market is often an opportune moment to accumulate its shares, ideally after a political, economic or financial systemic shock. I sold my entire Pakistan equities portfolio in summer of 2017 after the Supreme […]
By Arabian Post Staff The return of Qatari and Saudi Arabian issuers to the market and high levels of liquidity in Indonesia as well as Turkey’s efforts to tap all available financing sources have boosted issuance of sukuk 17.6% in the first five months of 2019. Foreign currency issuances also increased 15.6% during the period, explained primarily by Turkey’s issuances but also issuances by Qatari banks and […]
By Saifur Rahman Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), the UAE’s first and largest Islamic lender, said, is set to acquire Noor Bank, enhancing Dubai’s position as the capital of Islamic economy and creating the region’s most powerful Shari’a banking group. The combined asset value is set to reach Dh275 billion post acquisition, it said. “The Board of Directors of Dubai Islamic Bank convened its meeting on 09/06/2019 and […]
By James M. Dorsey A public apology by a prominent Salafi scholar sheds a light on Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s version of ‘moderate Islam,’ his effort to shape the Middle East and North Africa in his mould, and the replacement of religion with hyper-nationalism as the source of his legitimacy. Claiming to speak in the name of the Sahwa or Awakening movement, Aidh al-Qarni, one of the […]
By Matein Khalid Citigroup, the third largest US money center bank, owns subsidiaries in Latin America whose pedigrees go back almost a century. For instance, Banamex, Citi’s subsidiary in Mexico, is the second largest corporate/retail bank south of the Rio Grande. So it was no coincidence that Citi shares got sandbagged to a recent 61 as President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico’s $350 billion exports […]
By Saifur Rahman The oil-rich Gulf countries have started to introduce permanent residency to wealthy foreigners in order to retain the existing businesses and attract more foreign investors to support the economic growth. Within days after Saudi Arabia announcing a ‘Green Card’ scheme for wealthy foreigners, the UAE on Tuesday announced a similar package – Golden Card – to retain the super-rich expatriates and attract more. Vice […]
Starzplay, the Dubai-based subscription video on demand (SVOD) start-up, has now higher subscribers than Netflix – the global SVOD leader – in the Middle East and North Africa, a top official claimed. “In January 2019, we have reached 1 million subscribers in the Middle East – higher than Netflix,” Maaz Sheikh, CEO of Starzplay, told The Arabian Post, on the sidelines of a press briefing on Monday […]
By Matein Khalid I had published a column in the UK/MENA press arguing that the Uber IPO was “absurdly valued” last week. I was vindicated with a vengeance when Uber priced its IPO at 45, well below the level Saudi Arabia’s uber-sovereign wealth fund PIF invested $3.5 billion in the hose of Travis (now Dara) three years ago. Uber opened on the NYSE with a whimper, not […]
By Arabian Post Staff Supply disruptions in the Middle East on top of an already tight crude market could send oil prices violently upward, according to Rystad Energy. Two Saudi Arabian oil tankers were reportedly attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this weekend, sending crude futures sharply up Monday morning. Commenting on the incident, Bjørnar Tonhaugen, Head of Oil Market Research at Rystad […]
/By Matein Khalid/Are we on the precipice of another spasm of intercontinental contagion in the emerging markets like 2018, or the Asian flu, tequila crisis, Russian rouble default or the Turkish banking crisis in the 1990’s. Yes. The Shanghai Composite Index has plunged 12% and (17% fall for Shenzhen) since Trump got nasty on the tortuous US-China trade dialogue. The IMF cut its global growth forecast to […]
/By Matein Khalid/ Uber Technologies goes public in the most controversial and global tech IPO since Facebook seven years ago. Uber bulls claim that the ride sharing colossus is another embryonic Amazon, a firm that will dominate the digital constellation of the next two decades. I disagree. Uber loses $4 billion per annum and has already been forced to surrender Russia/CIS to Yandex, China to Didi and […]
|By Arabian Post Staff|The Islamic gold market is set to expand, develop and flourish – benefiting investors, product providers and the entire Islamic finance world, the World Gold Council has said in a report citing research commissioned by the council. The research was conducted as part of the council’s efforts to help develop a market for Shari’ah-compliant gold-backed products following the launch of the AAOIFI Shari’ah Standard […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| The shareholders of National Central Cooling Company have approved a dividend of 9.5 fils per share for the financial year ending 31 December 2018. Driven by the company’s strong and consistent performance in 2018, this represents a 19% increase on the previous year’s pay out. The dividend was approved by the shareholders at the company’s Annual General Assembly (AGA), chaired by Khaled Abdulla […]
The Middle East e-commerce market forever be changed with the region’s largest-ever acquisitions and new expansions. In particular, 2019 year has seen such big investments that will let the fastest growing eCommerce market of MEA to take a great turn. The business formation in MEA taking up diverse strategies by companies to establish business in unique places to compete strongly with the upcoming. MEA leave a great […]
|By Arabian Post Staff| 5G is expected to reach 30 million subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) by the end of 2024, representing 2% of total mobile subscriptions. This will make 5G the fastest generation of cellular technology to be rolled out on a global scale, according to the new MEA edition of the Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) Mobility Report. Key drivers […]
