INSEAD Day 4 - 728x90

Economy

ADNOC L&S to expand fleet

It will acquire 11 carriers for $1.3bn.

Empower profit climbs 16%

Dubai district cooling demand lifts earnings

Burjeel profit nearly doubles

Healthcare demand drives stronger earnings.

Salik profit slips in H1

The company said traffic recovery supported resilience.

Alpha Dhabi profit jumps 48%

AI and technology investments boost earnings.

Oil slides, stocks rise as Iran-Israel ceasefire holds

The main international and US oil contracts briefly bounced off their lows as Israel and Iran accused each other of...
  • Prices were also brought down by Trump saying that China could continue to buy oil from Iran, in what appeared to be relief from sanctions Washington had previously imposed.
  • There was also relief that Iran has refrained from closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

Oil prices seesaw as investors await Iran response to US strikes

US stocks edged higher while European markets retreated and Asian equities were mixed, with markets keeping a close eye on...
  • They later dipped briefly into the red and then wobbled, standing down around one percent as European markets closed.
  • Iran is the world's ninth-biggest oil-producing country, exporting just under half of the 3.3 million barrels it produces per day.

Oil prices spike after US strikes on Iran nuclear sites

Economists at MUFG warned of "high uncertainty of the outcomes and duration of this war", giving a "scenario analysis" of...
  • Asian stocks were lower as traders digested the weekend's events, with Iran threatening US bases in the Mideast
  • Iran is the world's ninth-biggest oil-producing country, with output of about 3.3 million barrels per day

Tesla to build first grid-scale power plant in China

New York, United States - Tesla announced Friday that it signed an agreement to build its first grid-scale energy storage...
  • The project will help with the flexible adjustment of grid resources, and "effectively solve pressures relating to urban power supply," Tesla said
  • Chinese media outlet Yicai reported that Tesla Shanghai, Shanghai authorities and China Kangfu International Leasing Co. held a signing ceremony Friday for the project

Trade war worsens foreign investment outlook: UNCTAD World Investment Report

Presenting the annual report at a press conference, UNCTAD chief Rebeca Grynspan said it contained a "clear and urgent" message...
  • After two consecutive years of decline, the FDI outlook for 2025 remains negative due to uncertainties triggered by the tariff war waged by Trump, the UNCTAD said.
  • UNCTAD said that when adjusted to strip out volatile financial flows through several European economies, FDI fell by 11% last year to $1.5 trillion.

US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in face of Trump criticism

Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank would make better decisions if it waited a few months to...
  • For now, he expects to learn more "over the summer," while officials appear increasingly divided on whether they can cut interest rates at all in 2025.
  • The Fed kept the benchmark lending rate between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent at the end of its two-day meeting, with officials penciling in two rate reductions this year.

MENA Brief | June 19: GCC central banks hold interest rates steady, Diriyah House launched in London

As most currencies in the region are pegged to the US dollar, monetary policy follows the decisions taken in Washington,...
  • Saudi-based Cluster2 Airports Company signed a strategic MoU with Airbus. The agreement will see the deployment of the Agnet Turnaround platform across Cluster2’s 22 airports.
  • Saudi National Bank (SNB) has issued $1.25 billion in Tier 2 bonds at a 6% profit rate under its $10 billion Euro Medium Term Note program.

Asian stocks drop after Fed warning, oil dips with Mideast in focus

Hong Kong, China - Asian stocks fell Thursday after the Federal Reserve warned Donald Trump's trade war would likely reignite...
  • With Trump increasingly calling for the bank to slash rates, Powell said: "We'll make smarter and better decisions if we just wait a couple of months."
  • Hong Kong led losses, falling more than one percent, while Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also in the red

US Fed set to hold rates steady as it guards against inflation

Washington, United States - The US central bank is expected to hold interest rates steady Wednesday after its key policy...
  • The Federal Reserve has kept the benchmark lending rate unchanged this year at a range between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent
  • Beyond inflation data, policymakers are also trying to keep expectations "anchored," a state in which consumers expect price increases to remain low and steady

Trump says EU not offering ‘fair deal’ on trade

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the European Union had yet to offer a "fair deal" on trade, as...
  • "We're talking but I don't feel that they're offering a fair deal yet," Trump said of EU speaking to reporters on board Air Force One before returning to the US from G7 meet US
  • Shortly after taking office, Trump upended the global economic order by accusing the United States' trading partners of unfair practices and he announced huge global tariffs

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

Web Summit Qatar 2026: Doha’s Bid to Become the Next Tech Hub

Early signals hint that Web Summit Qatar 2026 will be its biggest edition yet, with participation expected to outpace the...

Saudi Arabia’s high-stakes race toward Vision 2030: Diversifying amid global uncertainty

Moving forward, lower oil revenues will continue to pose challenges to the Saudi economy and its overall targets. Earlier this...

Syria to start replacing currency from Jan 1: central bank chief

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from...
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600

Most Read

UAE builds resilient economy outpacing skeptics and shocks

From the 1980s onward, the federal government and individual emirates launched broader diversification and liberalization programs to reduce reliance on...
  • Decades of strategic diversification, agile governance and private-sector dynamism have turned the UAE into a global benchmark for sustainable growth
  • From the oil windfalls of the 1970s to today’s AI-driven economy, the UAE’s long-term vision is delivering fiscal strength, investor confidence and global relevance

US launches pact for AI supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies to face China

The United States signed an agreement on the supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies concerned about China's growing clout --...
  • Dubbed the "Pax Silica," adapting the Latin terms for peace and silicon, a key material in AI, the partnership aims to secure supply chains
  • China has quickly taken a dominant position in the race for resources in the fast-growing area of artificial intelligence, mining around 70 percent of key rare earths

MENA emerges as fast-growing global e-trading hub, UAE leads with over half-trillion dollars in volume

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most dynamic retail e-trading markets,...
  • The study, Trading’s New Horizon: How Access, Innovation and Ambition Are Fuelling MENA’s E-Trading Boom, draws on two years of data from 62,850 verified traders across the region
  • The report notes that MENA traders are young, digitally savvy and highly educated, and nearly 86% are aged 18–44, and 64% hold a university degree—far higher than Europe’s 39%