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 Emirates Strategic Investments Company (ESIC), an Abu Dhabi-based investment company owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, said it has acquired two mixed-use properties in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of a series of investments to be funded by last year’s successful issuance of the company’s US$600 million (Dh2.2 billion) sukuk. The Dh1 billion (US$ […]
By Arabian Post Staff After two decades of successful operations in the GCC, UAE’s home-grown brand Nikai has commenced operations in Egypt by setting up facility for the production of television sets. The company believes that fast-growing economy with a high value-based consumer demand will help build on its existing market in Cairo. Nikai chairman Paras Shahdadpuri said the expansion marks a new era for the company. […]
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 […]
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 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 Arabian Post Staff Saudi Arabia has unveiled a 2020 budget that projects a budget deficit of 6.4 percent of GDP. This is much higher than the figure for 2019, which was estimated at 4.7 percent. The 20220 budget indicates total expenditures of SAR 1,020 billion, and SAR 833 billion of projected revenues. For FY 2019, it is expected that the actual expenditures will reach SAR 1,048 billion and total actual revenues are expected […]
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 […]
Airbus celebrates 10-years of partnership with Strata shaping the UAE’s aerospace industry, highlighting key milestones achieved with the UAE-based manufacturer throughout the past decade. As part of the UAE’s drive to create a world-class aerospace industry to deliver on its diversification strategy, Airbus is increasing its Middle Eastern footprint through industry cooperation with local entities to contribute to the nation’s economic growth. Abu Dhabi-based Strata Manufacturing has […]
By Arabian Post Staff Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low cost carrier, has signed a firm order for 120 Airbus aircraft comprising 73 A320neos, 27 A321neos and 20 A321XLRs. The agreement was signed at the 2019 Dubai Airshow in the presence of Air Arabia’s Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Adel Ali, Chief Executive Officer Air Arabia and Guillaume Faury, […]
By Arabian Post Staff Air Arabia announced a record net profit of AED 471 million for the three months ending September 30, 2019; an increase of 57 per cent compared to the AED 300 million reported for the same period last year. The company’s turnover for the third quarter of 2019 increased by 12 per cent to AED 1.438 billion, compared to AED 1.282 billion in the […]
By Saifur Rahman Dubai: Emirates Group, which includes Emirates Airline and its ground handling and ticketing arm Dnata, reported an 8 percent growth in profits to Dh1.2 billion (US$320 million), despite a 2 percent decline in group revenues to Dh53.3 billion (US$14.5 billion) for the first six months of 2019-2020 financial year, starting April 1, 2019, compared to Dh54.4 billion (US$14.8 billion), during the same period last year, due to unfavourable […]
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 […]
By Diyari Salih On the first of October, Iraq witnessed enormous protests against the government and the political elite in this country. Later, the prime minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, announced many reform packages. He also declared that a committee would be established to investigate the actions of violence executed against the protesters. No one believed in these governmental procedures. Thus, a new wave of protests engulfed Iraq’s […]
Continuing from the previous quarter, average sales prices and rents softened across most communities in Dubai in the third quarter of 2019, the latest Cavendish Maxwell UAE Property Market Report says. The average apartment prices declined by 16.5% over the 12-month period from Q3 2018 to Q3 2019 while the average villa/townhouse prices declined 15% during the period. Rental declines for apartments in Dubai averaged 15%, whilst […]
It’s the largest and most popular music festival in the world, so it’s no surprise that every single available ticket for Glastonbury Festival 2020 sold out instantly. Tickets were placed on general sale on the morning of Sunday, 6th October. They were all done within a matter of hours. During that time, websites crashed, phone lines became engaged, and millions of music fans took to the internet […]
By Arabian Post Staff Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has announced a 45 percent growth in the Islamic assets being managed in the Centre over the past one year. Islamic finance is growing at 1.5 times the rate of traditional finance, and the Middle East, Africa, South Asia region (MEASA )continues to be a steady driver of this industry, fuelled by a number of jumbo sukuk issuances […]
The downward price corrections witnessed in Q2 2019 in the Abu Dhabi real estate sector appear have to slowed in Q3, with average sales prices for apartments down 1% from the previous quarter and sales prices for villas showing no movement from Q2, according to an S&P report. This suggests the market could be close to bottoming out, however, this will depend on the amount of supply […]
By Arabian Post Staff DP World has announced a partnership with Zhejiang China Commodity City Group Company LTD (CCC) to develop the ‘Traders Market’ in Jebel Ali Freezone (JAFZA). DP World will hold a majority share in the 70/30 joint venture. The Traders Market project will span approximately 800,000 square metres, with Phase 1 development covering about 220,000 square metres. Phase 1 Capex is estimated at $150 […]
By Matein Khalid Goldman Sachs shares traded at 190 when I wrote this article, way below its 52 week high at 245 making it a Cinderella in global investment banking at only 8.5 times forward earnings. It is obvious that Goldman’s involvement in the $7 billion 1MDB sovereign wealth heist in Malaysia has led to global outrage, demands for a $6 billion in punitive fine by Prime […]
Most people prefer to use ancient remedies along with modern medicine to speed up their recovery. Ancient remedies are simple, and they include a change in diet, herbs, massages, and acupuncture. Modern medicine has embraced some forms of ancient remedies such as acupuncture and massage therapies. Although they have acknowledged some of the techniques, they point out that some such as using animal parts like rhinoceros horns […]
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 […]
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 […]
