Geopolitics, risk aversion and crypto: Why this time may be different
Bitcoin has already endured five consecutive months of declines since reaching an all-time high of $126,500 in October 2025. February...
Opinion
The shift from innovative to native: Unlocking where real AI value lies
There are, of course, technical hurdles to overcome, too, one of which is modernizing legacy systems. Many enterprises still operate...
Opinion
Business
China’s Xiaomi to invest nearly $7 bn in chips
Chinese tech giant Xiaomi will invest 50 billion yuan ($6.9 billion) in developing high-end smartphone chips, the firm's founder said...
- Xiaomi, which sells goods from smartphones to vacuum cleaners and EVs, is one of China's most prominent consumer electronics firms.
- Xiaomi took initial steps into semiconductors for smartphones with the launch of the firm's first in-house chip - the Surge S1 - in 2017.
Economy
China factory output beats forecasts, weathering tariffs
Beijing, China - Factory output in China grew at a faster rate than expected last month, official data showed Monday,...
- Industrial production in the export powerhouse grew 6.1 percent on-year in April, according to figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
- The reading was higher than the 5.7 percent forecast in a Bloomberg survey, but still lower than the 7.7 percent jump recorded for March
Business
General Gulf inflation rate logs 1.7% by end of Dec 2024
Muscat, Oman -- The general inflation rate in the GCC countries rose by 1.7 percent at the end of December...
- The increase is primarily driven by a 5.9 percent increase in housing prices and a 2.8 percent rise in the prices of goods and services.
- The culture and entertainment group recorded a 1.8 percent increase, while both the food and beverages group and the education group rose by 1.2 percent each.
Business
US stocks move sideways but poised for weekly gains
The S&P 500 has risen the last four sessions, extending the positive momentum after last weekend's trade talks resulted in...
- The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.1 percent at 5,923.30, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.2 percent to 19,146.48.
- Broadband and cable company Charter Communications gained 2.5 percent after announcing a deal to acquire Cox Communications for $34.5 billion.
Economy
Tehran says no objection to US investment in Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran has no objection to US companies operating in the country, including...
- "We have no ban on the economic presence of American companies in Iran," Araghchi said, attributing the lack of US business activity to primary sanctions imposed by Washington
- His remarks come after President Donald Trump said Washington was "getting close" to a new nuclear deal with Tehran to replace the one he abandoned during his first term in 2018
Economy
US, China to slash tariffs as Trump to speak to Xi
After the first meetings between Washington and Beijing since Trump ratcheted up his trade war, the world's two biggest economies...
- The world's two biggest economies agreed in a joint statement to bring their triple-digit tariffs down to two figures and continue negotiations
- China hailed the "substantial progress" made at the talks, held at the discreet villa residence of Switzerland's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva
Economy
US, China to publish details of ‘substantial’ trade talks in Geneva
The US and China will Monday give details of "substantial progress" touted by Washington on trade talks aimed at ending...
- It was the first time senior officials from the world's two largest economies have met face-to-face to talk trade since Trump imposed steep new levies on China totalling 145%
- The trade spat between Washington and Beijing has rocked financial markets and raised fears of a global economic slowdown and an inflationary spike in the United States
Economy
Asian markets rally after positive China-US trade talks
Asian stocks rallied Monday after top Chinese and US officials held "substantial" trade talks at the weekend, fuelling hopes the...
- Investors have been on a rollercoaster ride since Donald Trump unveiled eye-watering tolls on trading partners on April 2
- The US president eventually hiked the measures against China to 145 percent, which were met with retaliatory rates of 125 percent
Economy
Washington hails ‘substantive progress’ after trade talks with China
Washington expressed optimism at the end of a weekend of trade talks with China aimed to de-escalate trade tensions sparked...
- The meetings marked the first time senior officials from the two countries met since Trump slapped steep levies on China
- After the first day of negotiations, Trump had posted on Truth Social that the discussions had been "very good"
Economy
Trump hails ‘total reset’ in US-China trade relations as talks continue
Geneva, Switzerland - US President Donald Trump hailed a "total reset" in US-China trade relations, ahead of a second day...
- The discussions are the first time senior officials from the world's two largest economies have met face-to-face to tackle the thorny topic of trade
- Ahead of the meeting, Trump signaled he might lower the tariffs, suggesting on social media that an "80% Tariff on China seems right!"
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Geopolitics, risk aversion and crypto: Why this time may be different
Bitcoin has already endured five consecutive months of declines since reaching an all-time high of $126,500 in October 2025. February...
Opinion
Company News
Latest News
G20 summit opens in South Africa without Trump
The Johannesburg gathering is being attended by a host of world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister...
Geostrategy
China’s consumer prices rose in Oct, reversing stagnation
Beijing has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, as it fights a debt crisis in its...
Economy
UAE company inks $22 mn deal for stake in Latakia container terminal
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - AD Ports Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a $22 million agreement Thursday...
Economy
Most Read
Economy
Bahrain: Financial pioneer of the Gulf
In the post-digital world, Bahrain’s center of activity, the city of Manama, has stiff yet healthy competition from the GCC...
- Today, Bahrain is reinventing its economy through focusing heavily on Fintech Innovation, developing data centers with partners such as Amazon Web Services
- The pioneer of conventional banking in the region in 1970s has been robustly supporting Shariah-compliant financial instruments amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Economy
Qatar warns will cut gas supply to Europe over EU’s green rules
Qatar's energy minister on Monday warned the Gulf state would halt its supply of liquefied natural gas to Europe over...
- The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) requires large companies to fix the "adverse human rights and environmental impacts" of their supply chains worldwide
- The law was backed by a broad coalition of European politicians including the left and the greens as well as centrists, including some centre-right lawmakers
Business
OpenAI signs $38 bn infrastructure deal with cloud giant AWS
Under the seven-year agreement, OpenAI, which is partly owned by AWS's archrival Microsoft, will gain access to computing resources including...
- The deal will also give access to tens of millions of more conventional CPUs that will be used for the everyday deployment of so-called agentic AI.
- OpenAI will immediately begin utilizing AWS computing, with all capacity targeted to be used before the end of 2026, and the ability to expand further in the coming years.