Arabian Post Staff The World Travel & Tourism Council says up to 50 million jobs in the Travel & Tourism sector are at risk due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, said: “WTTC figures show the stark impact on the Travel & Tourism sector of the present COVID-19 outbreak with analysis now suggesting that up to 50 million jobs are at risk in the sector globally”. “When the time is right, WTTC and the […]
Arabian Post Staff The spread of coronavirus continues to deepen the severity of the blow to global fuels demand. Energy consultancy Rystad Energy now expects more than half of global oil demand growth to be lost in 2020. As global stocks increase by the day, the ongoing OPEC+ meeting is unlikely to result in cuts sufficient enough to balance the market, under all of our scenarios. The […]
Arabian Post Staff Dubai-based DP World has agreed to acquire a majority 51% stake in TIS Container Terminal in the Port of Yuzhny, Ukraine, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including regulatory approval. Bringing the TIS Container Terminal into DP World’s global network of ports, economic zones, warehousing, and inland logistics solutions will strengthen its position as the market-leading terminal of Ukraine. This latest acquisition also […]
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 James M. Dorsey A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox. Saudi Arabia may have been getting more than it bargained for when authorities in Khujand, Tajikistan’s second largest city, ordered that the city’s largest and most popular mosque be converted into a cinema. The order followed the closure of some 2,000 mosques in the country in the last three years and the arrest last month […]
By Matein Khalid My tactical idea last week to recommend buying sterling against the US dollar (cable) at 1.30 for a 1.34 target is 200 pips in the money now that the Bank of England kept the policy rate unchanged at 0.75% despite Governor Carney’s smoke signals. Sterling closed at 1.32 on Friday evening and will be well bid next week – hopefully. I expect Governor Bailey […]
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 […]
Emaar, the master developer of the Burj Khalifa, wowed over 2 billion people across the globe with a breathtaking pyrotechnic show on the world’s tallest building to ring in 2020. In a mesmerising story, the Burj Khalifa transformed through animation, light, sounds and a synchronized fountain show taking viewers on a journey at the onset of a new decade. Following the traditional 10 second digital countdown on […]
By Saifur Rahman Finland, which is the world’s first country to develop a masterplan for sustainable zero-waste circular economy, will showcase the country’s expertise in this field at the World Expo 2020 that takes place in Dubai from October, 2020 till April 2021. A circular economy is an economic system that is aimed at eliminating waste and creates a carbo-neutral environment by the continual use of resources. Circular systems employ reuse, sharing, repair, […]
By Matein Khalid I had recommended buying the Tadawul ETF iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia (symbol KSA on NYSE) on November 30 to benefit from the post-IPO surge in the price of the Saudi Aramco IPO shares on the Tadawul. This tactical trade was a beauty even before Saudi Aramco shares soared 20% on its Thursday December 12 to peak at 38.7 Saudi riyals (SAR). As I expected, […]
By Matein Khalid I had recommended SAP shares at €82 in the Gulf financial press in early 2018 as its then CEO Bill McDermott committed the firm to the digital transformation of the UAE at Dubai’s World Government Summit. I published a second article on August 7, 2019 tilted “German software colossus SAP shares will more than double by 2023!”. The shares were €104 in Frankfurt on […]
[ad_1] Author: Mon, 2019-10-21 16:02 DUBAI: Mariah Carey stepped out in a gorgeous gown by Dubai-based designer Furne One, founder of Amato Couture, as crowds gathered at Burj Park on Sunday night to mark the one-year countdown to Expo 2020. Carey sparkled in a full-length studded dress featuring intricate patterns and Swarovski crystals. She has been spotted in one of Amato Couture’s gowns before, at the Cannes Film […]
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 […]
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN)-Lebanon is on the verge of economic collapse unless an “immediate solution” can be found to end days of nationwide protests that have paralyzed the country, Central Bank Governor Riad Salame told CNN in an exclusive interview Monday. Lebanon’s banks have been closed since the demonstrations, sparked by a series of proposed austerity measures including a tax on WhatsApp calls, began nearly two weeks ago. “It’s a […]
Ren Zhengfei, founder and CEO of Huawei recently met with a contingent of media from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to share his thoughts on the region’s bold digital transformation efforts—and Huawei ‘s plans for supporting local partners to scale digital services to more people, homes, and organizations than ever before. The global executive acknowledged the Arab world’s long and profound history, particularly its […]
By Saifur Rahman Valletta, Malta: The Government of Malta is seeking greater ties with the Gulf countries and India, in order to accelerate its economic growth, highest among the European Union countries, a top official said. The country is also expected to make the best use of the World Expo 2020 in which it is preparing a three-pronged strategy to promote its culture, economy and heritage through […]
By Matein Khalid So Boris Johnson was elected the leader of the Conservative Party by 66% of the Tory membership and thus he, not Jeremy Hunt, will go to Buck House to present his credentials to Her Majesty the Queen. This increases the risk of both no deal Brexit and a potential Tory vote of no confidence in parliament, led by Mrs. May’s Chancellor of the Exchequer […]
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 Matein Khalid The S&P 500 index trades at 2990 as I write. The risk-reward calculus on the broad index no longer flashes a buy signal to me. The economic data around the world has deteriorated at an accelerating pace, as the decline in global PMI’s, 9% fall in German factory orders and $13 trillion in in government debt trading at negative interest rates attest. Commodities prices […]
Arabian Post Staff A UAE bid to become a globally recognized internet security watchdog, empowered to certify the safety of websites for Firefox users, has failed with the browser maker Mozilla rejecting the country’s bid. Websites seeking designation as safe by internet browsers have to be certified by an outside organization, which will confirm their identity and vouch for their security. Mozilla said it made the decision […]
BY Aaditya Tangri We’ve all heard the dire warnings of our impending dystopian future. According to research by Deloitte, an estimated 35% of UK jobs are at high risk of automation in the next 10 to 20 years, whilst in the past 15 years technology has already contributed to the loss of over 800,000 jobs. Market research company Forrester predicts that 6% of US jobs will be […]
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 […]
