INSEAD Day 4 - 728x90

Economy

Samsung biggest chip investor

The tech giant invested nearly $59.2bn in 2025.

flynas to set up new hub

Five destinations in first phase of operations.

AD Ports Group acquires CLI

CLI is Brazilian agri-bulk terminal operator.

$1.59bn Makkah project awarded

A consortium will develop two districts in the Holy City.

2PointZero posts profit surge

Growth driven by merger consolidation.

Oil prices rise ahead of US-Russia summit as stocks digest inflation data

New York, United States - Wall Street stocks finished little changed Thursday as markets absorbed a disappointing inflation report, while...
  • The producer price index rose 0.9 percent on a month-on-month basis, much greater than analysts expected following benign consumer pricing data earlier this week
  • Among individual companies, Intel surged 7.4 percent following a Bloomberg News report that Trump is considering an investment in the beleaguered chip company

Stocks diverge as bitcoin hits record high

Bitcoin hit a new peak at $124,514.59 in Asian trading, before cooling to around $121,500. The world's biggest cryptocurrency is...
  • Bitcoin is also winning investor support thanks to strong backing for the cryptocurrency sector from Trump.
  • Most European equity indices climbed after major Asian peers ended lower.

Dubai GDP grows by 4 percent to reach $32.58 billion in first quarter of 2025

Human Health and Social Work activities registered the highest growth rate, rising 26 percent compared to the same period last...
  • Real Estate activities grew by 7.8 percent, while financial and insurance activities expanded by 5.9 percent.
  • Accommodation and food service activities recorded a 3.4 percent increase, and transport and storage rose by 2 percent.

Bitcoin hits record high above $124,000 before retreating

Tokyo, Japan - Bitcoin hit a record high on Thursday during early Asian trading, surpassing $124,000, driven by favourable US...
  • US stocks ended higher Wednesday, with the S&P 500 index and the tech-heavy Nasdaq reaching new heights this week, contributing to the cryptocurrency's rise
  • Bitcoin's value has recently soared, fuelled by US regulatory changes under US President Donald Trump, a strong backer of the crypto sector

Plastic pollution treaty talks in disarray as dozens of countries reject draft text

Geneva, Switzerland - Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on...
  • With some 30 hours left to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva, states lined up to slam the text proposed by Luis Vayas Valdivieso
  • Five previous rounds over the past two and a half years failed to seal an agreement, including a supposedly final round in South Korea late last year

Most markets rise as China-US tariff truce extended, US inflation data in focus

In an executive order, the White House reiterated its position that there are "large and persistent annual US goods trade...
  • Donald Trump's widely expected trade announcement avoids the reimposition of sky-high levies and allows officials from Washington and Beijing to continue talking into November
  • the White House reiterated its position that there are "large and persistent annual US goods trade deficits" and they "constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat."

Trump says to move homeless people ‘far’ from Washington

President Donald Trump said Sunday that homeless people must be moved "far" from Washington, after days of musing about taking...
  • The Republican billionaire has announced a press conference for Monday in which he is expected to reveal his plans for Washington
  • "I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before," the president posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday

Gold futures hit record on US tariff shock; mixed day for stocks

Gold futures hit a record high Friday following reports of an unexpected tariff on the precious metal as global stocks...
  • Wall Street enjoyed a sunny Friday led by the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index, which posted a second straight record
  • Investors are growing confident that President Donald Trump's constantly-changing US trade policy won't derail the surge in investment around artificial intelligence

OpenAI releases ChatGPT-5 as AI race accelerates

San Francisco, United States -- OpenAI released a keenly awaited new generation of its hallmark ChatGPT on Thursday, touting "significant" advancements...
  • ChatGPT-5 is rolling out free to all users of the AI tool, which is used by nearly 700 million people weekly, OpenAI said in a briefing with journalists.
  • Co-founder and chief executive Sam Altman touted this latest iteration as "clearly a model that is generally intelligent."

Average US tariffs now highest since 1910s: WTO and IMF

The figure, calculated by the two organizations, stands in contrast with the 2.4 percent rate in force at the time...
  • A trade "truce" brought down sky-high tariff levels that the United States and China had imposed upon one another, but that is set to expire next week.
  • The new figure by the WTO and IMF takes into account the trade deals the US negotiated with the EU, Japan, South Korea and other nations that have now come into force.

The generational digital divide is fading among UAE investors, eToro finds 

76% of younger investors and 75% of older investors have acted on a recommendation by an AI engine

Latest News

Building the Gulf’s Knowledge Future: Education, Innovation, Talent

Florin Vasvari of London Business School says a knowledge economy requires educated local talent, global expertise and supportive regulation, tax...

Building the New Creative Engine of the Knowledge Economy: Mark Penn

Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO of Stagwell, explains how AI and global tech partnerships are reshaping marketing and the GCC’s...

The Gulf’s next currency isn’t petroleum. It’s know-how

The post-oil Gulf has the chance to redefine authenticity itself—as a deliberately trained, global hospitality culture built by people, not...
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600

Most Read

Reason for the GCC’s prosperity is that it is willing to take risks: Tadeu Baldani Caravieri

The Gulf economies face disruptions but embrace risk to grow, says Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, founder of Prototypes for Humanity, on...
  • The region’s prosperity is linked to its willingness to experiment and take calculated risks, with cities like Dubai leading in financial innovation, Caravieri tells TRENDS
  • Innovation relies on strong local institutions, including government policies, and the ability to produce scalable solutions, with capital as a critical enabler, he adds

From Summit to Strategy: Qatar Builds Global Investment Hub

This year’s edition is expected to welcome more than 30,000 participants from over 120 countries, including 1,500 startups, 700 investors...
  • This year’s edition is expected to welcome more than 30,000 participants from over 120 countries, including 1,500 startups, 700 investors and 600 media representatives
  • For a country with a population of under three million, this represents a remarkable concentration of global innovation and capital within a compact economic landscape

Oil prices gain, as equities extend record run higher

Oil prices have experienced choppy trading since the surprise US raid Saturday on Caracas that saw Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro...
  • Brushing off geopolitical concerns, some major stock markets have begun the new year with new all-time highs, having smashed records in 2025.
  • Seoul rose more than one percent Tuesday to top 4,500 points for the first time, helped by another strong rally in chip giant SK hynix.