By Matein Khalid Oscar Wilde once spoke of his friendship with Lord Alfred Douglas, the fabled Bosie, as “the love that dare not speak its name”, in Victorian London, when Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper roamed amid the fog and the gaslights! The love that dare not speak its name in my life is, of course, my obsession with foreign exchange markets, a love that mesmerizes […]
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 […]
Arabian Post Staff A staggering one million jobs are being lost every day in the Travel & Tourism sector due to the sweeping effect of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). According to the London-based international organisation, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, the growing job losses are affecting every level of the industry and are gathering pace, as countries go into […]
As we all know, Covid-19 and the effect it is having on the world has been substantial. With several cancellations and travel bans to locations all over the world, there are plenty of changes being made. With changes to sporting events as well as the postponement of a number of major events in the UAE and internationally, there are many wondering how Covid-19 can continue to affect not […]
Arabian Post Staff Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) announced a record growth in 2019. The total number of firms in the Centre reached 2,437, up 14% from 2018, with a total of 32% growth since 2017. It attracted 493 new businesses in 2019 and now counts 17 of the world’s top 20 banks, 8 of the 10 leading global law firms, 3 of the top 5 insurance companies […]
Arabian Post Staff The International Air Transport Association (IATA) sees 2020 global revenue losses for the passenger business of between $63 billion (in a scenario where COVID-19 is contained in current markets with over 100 cases as of 2 March) and $113 billion (in a scenario with a broader spreading of COVID-19). No estimates are yet available for the impact on cargo operations. IATA’s previous analysis (issued […]
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 […]
The following is a text of seven -year-old Soborno Isaac Bari’s prepared remarks to Mankind, delivered on January 6, 2020 at SP Pune University in India. I am honored to be in India, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, and to be hosted by Savitribai Phule Pune University. Since 1949, India has stood as a beacon of democracy, diversity, and tolerance and the University of Pune has served […]
There’s barely an area of entertainment or recreation that Dubai hasn’t either broken into or attempted to break into during the past few years, but this latest trend is one we never expected to see. When you hear the words ‘luxury cruise’, there are to areas of the planet that tend to spring to mind. The first is the Caribbean. The second is the Mediterranean. At a […]
By Matein Khalid NMC Health PLC, the UAE’s leading private operator of medical clinics and hospitals with a footprint in 17 countries was founded by Abu Dhabi based Indian-Udupi businessman B. R. Shetty and listed on the London Stock Exchange. NMC plunged a shocking 45% in five trading sessions after Carson Block of Muddy Waters Capital, one of the world’s preeminent short selling specialist hedge funds, accused […]
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 […]
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 Arabian Post Staff Emaar Properties recorded robust increase in net profit by 20 per cent during the third quarter (July to September) of 2019 to AED 1.331 billion (US$ 362 million), compared to the net profit of AED 1.110 billion (US$ 302 million) during the same period in 2018. Revenue also grew by 14 per cent to AED 6.075 billion (US$ 1.654 billion) during third quarter […]
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 […]
Saudi Arabia’s energy-sector manufacturing – industrial activities that are principally related to the energy value-chain – are set for robust growth in the coming decade, not only adding to the Kingdom’s exports but also promoting job creation among highly-skilled Saudis and strengthening the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, reports the findings of the first-of-its-kind study on the Saudi industrial and energy manufacturing landscape by GE. Unveiled […]
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 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 […]
By Arabian Post Staff Abu Dhabi announced the establishment of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the first graduate level, research-based AI university in the world. MBZUAI will enable graduate students, businesses, and governments to advance artificial intelligence. MBZUAI will introduce a new model of academia and research to the field of AI, providing students and faculty access to some of the world’s most […]
Whilst the forex market is renowned for its liquidity and volatility, it’s fair to say that some currencies offer a far greater degree of stability than others. Take the U.S. Dollar (USD), for example, which features as part of 84% of all currency trades and accounts for an estimated 38% of the world’s debt. The USD has also performed well of late, having strengthened to a 12-year […]
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 […]
