A surge in tech titans including Apple, Amazon, Nvidia and Facebook parent Meta on Friday pushed New York's S&P 500 index to its first new all-time high since early 2022 thanks to bets on lower borrowing costs this year.

The Frankfurt institute is tipped to pause for the third meeting in a row following a historic run of hikes to tame runaway prices, leaving the benchmark deposit rate at four percent. ECB president Christine Lagarde said last week rates had likely reached their peak but that it was too...

Broader markets were also enjoying a day in the sun though traders struggled to maintain the morning's momentum. Tokyo put on more than one percent thanks to the weaker yen as data showing Japanese inflation slowing eased pressure on the country's central bank to shift away from its ultra-loose monetary...

Beijing, China--China's economy is likely to pick up the pace and grow steadily in 2024 after a bumpy recovery last year, propelled by the gradual increase in domestic demand and with more stimulus policies in the offing, China Daily reported, citing officials and economists on Wednesday. Economists said the country...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) saw its balance sheet soar to $182.43 billion at the end of November 2023, marking a significant surge in its financial strength. This impressive growth is revealed in the bank's latest balance sheet report. The report highlights a robust...

The country's national bureau of statistics said that GDP grew 5.2 percent to hit 126 trillion yuan ($17.6 trillion) as the country battled a crippling property crisis, sluggish consumption and global turmoil. Official GDP figures remain a key source of insight into the health of the world's second-largest economy.

While inflation is on a general downward path, there is a worry that it could pop back up anytime, particularly with tensions in the oil-rich Middle East showing no sign of calming.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia’s inflation declined to 1.5 percent in December 2023, compared with 1.7 percent in November, according to recent data by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).  The cost-of-living index for December rose to 110.15 points, according to the base year 2018, from 108.53 points in the same month...

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland--Global economic prospects remain subdued and fraught with uncertainty, according to the latest Chief Economists Outlook released today, as the global economy continues to grapple with headwinds from tight financial conditions, geopolitical rifts and rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI). More than half of chief economists (56%) expect...

Washington, United States - The IMF's executive board approved an immediate disbursement of around $700 million for Pakistan Thursday as part of a program to support the cash-strapped South Asian country through an economic crisis. The funds were unlocked after the International Monetary Fund board approved the first review of a...

Washington, US - Consumer inflation in the United States rose more than anticipated in December, government data showed Thursday, underscoring the bumpy road to cooling price increases as the presidential election looms. The Department of Labor's consumer price index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, was up 3.4 percent from a...

Its net profit fell 7.29% Y-o-Y in the three months to December.

WASHINGTON, US - The World Bank expected the UAE's real GDP to grow by 3.4 percent in 2023, rising to 3.7 percent in 2024 and to 3.8 percent in 2025. According to the Global Economic Prospects report released on Tuesday, the World Bank forecast the growth in the Gulf Cooperation...

Hong Kong, China - Asian markets stumbled out of the gates Monday, extending last week's grim start to the year, after a forecast-busting US jobs report further dampened hopes for an early interest rate cut. The keenly awaited non-farm payrolls data Friday showed the world's number one economy remains resilient despite...

Doha, Qatar--Qatar National Bank (QNB) expects the global economic growth to be around 2.9 percent in 2024, roughly the same rate as last year. QNB, in its weekly commentary, said, "There is no doubt that expectations for 2024 were influenced by the experience of investor sentiment from 2023, when negative...

The data supports comments by European Central Bank (ECB) chief Christine Lagarde, who has warned that Europe should remain on guard despite falling inflation.

World food prices fell in 2023, with considerable declines for grains and oils as supply concerns eased, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said. The FAO's cereals price index fell 15.4 percent last year, "reflecting well supplied global markets" compared to 2022, when prices soared after Russia's invasion of Ukraine,...

Turkey's official annual inflation rate ticked up to 64.77 in December, from 61.98 percent in November. But the month-on-month pace of increases of 2.93 percent was the smallest of the past six months.

Following record highs in 2023 for the likes of Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo, investors are predicting more gains as central banks prepare a series of interest-rate cuts as inflation cools. Oil prices rallied 2.5 percent on supply concerns after Iran dispatched a warship to the Red Sea in response to...

The launch comes a decade after the social benefits program was proposed, and as part of an overhaul of social services announced in 2020 by King Mohammed VI. Government aid so far has been indirect, with the state subsidizing some goods but not offering payments to low-income people.

According to the Kuwait Central Statistical Bureau, the upward trend was mainly attributed to rising prices across all major groups impacting key indices, especially food, education, and clothing. The food and beverages sector experienced the most notable increase, with its index surging by 5.81% in November compared to the same...

Doha, Qatar-- Inflation in Qatar is expected to fall in 2024, according to Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, the Minister of Finance. In a press conference on Thursday, the minister said that the inflation witnessed in Qatar in 2023 was temporary and associated with a specific period and reasons, such...

Cairo, Egypt – The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has kept the current key interest rates unchanged in its final meeting of 2023.  The decision leaves the overnight deposit rate at 19.25 percent, the overnight lending rate at 20.25 percent, the main operation rate...

The outcome of the December 10-12 poll was widely expected after the former army chief with a fondness for infrastructure mega-projects campaigned against a small field of relative unknowns. It secures 69-year-old Sisi his third and, according to the Egyptian constitution, final term in office, starting in April and set...

In a country gripped by the most severe financial crisis in its recent history-- inflation has hovered near 40% after the currency lost half its value-- the economy is the crux of Egyptians' concerns. Even before the crisis, about two-thirds of the country's nearly 106m people were living on or...

Hong Kong, China - Gold prices soared to a record high above $2,100 on Monday as traders grow increasingly confident the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in the new year. The precious metal struck $2,135.39 in early Asian trade, topping the previous all-time high set in 2020, during the pandemic....

The latest batch of data show higher borrowing costs starting to slow down consumption -- a key goal of the central bank. Turkey's gross domestic product rose by just 0.3 percent between July and September. It had risen by 3.3 between April and June.

Washington, United States - A key inflation measure used by the US Federal Reserve to set interest rates eased further last month amid declining energy and goods prices, according to government data published Thursday. The annual personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 3.0 percent in October, down 0.4 percentage points...

World stock markets have made robust gains in recent weeks on hopes that the US central bank had finished with hiking rates and could cut borrowing costs next year as inflation cools. While Wall Street's main indices spent some time in the red, they moved higher as the yields on US...

Stock markets were mostly in wait-and-see mode as investors eyed the release this week of key US inflation data that could guide Federal Reserve plans for interest rates. Oil prices slid nearly two percent before cutting their losses as dealers awaited a delayed meeting of OPEC and its allies to...

Pausing of rate hikes by global central banks amid fluctuating inflation rates influences global markets, with specific impacts in the MENA region, says a new report.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's consumer price index experienced a slight decrease in October, dropping to 1.6 percent from 1.7 percent in September, according to the latest official data. The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) reported that this decrease in inflation was primarily due to a 0.8 percent reduction...

Dubai, UAE--Egypt's annual core inflation rate decelerated by 1.6 percent in October, recording 38.1 percent, down from 39.7 percent in September, according to data released by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) on Sunday. The monthly core inflation rate rose to 1.8 percent in October compared to 1.1 percent in...

Sotheby's and Christie's will be moving a host of big-ticket lots, though they may still have a hard time topping last year, when total sales hit a record $16 billion.

Hong Kong, China - Markets rallied again Monday following another strong performance on Wall Street, as below-forecast US jobs data fanned optimism that the Federal Reserve had reached the end of its interest rate hiking cycle. After a tough year for traders, the bank's decision last week to pause on monetary...

Washington, United States -- Central bank reserve management remained resilient during a historically volatile year, according to the fourth edition of the World Bank Reserve Management Survey Report. Central banks identified ESG, volatility and risk, and inflation as their main challenges in 2022, the report said. Central banks are becoming...

The UAE's central bank has kept its Base Rate for the Overnight Deposit Facility (ODF) unchanged at 5.40 percent. It is closely tied to the US Federal Reserve's Interest on Reserve Balances (IORB), reflecting the general stance of the CBUAE's monetary policy. Qatar Central Bank too has maintained its current...

The company plans a $13.9bn investment in a battery plant.

The US tightening sanctions on Iranian oil could have a negative impact on individual and institutional investment portfolios by disrupting the energy sector, contributing to inflationary pressures, and intensifying geopolitical risks. You need to be aware of the risks – but also the opportunities, he adds.

The Federal Reserve will likely announce it is holding interest rates at a 22-year high on Wednesday, as it looks to tackle inflation without damaging the resilient US economy. Analysts and traders parsing recent Fed speeches overwhelmingly expect the US central bank to hold rates steady for the second meeting...

Recent developments spark concerns that the conflict, which is spreading across the region, presents a long-term threat to global energy and commercial infrastructure.

Stora Enso registered a loss of $272m euros in Q2 2023.

London, United Kingdom - European and US stock markets fell Thursday as investors worried over rising US Treasury yields and the Israel-Hamas crisis potentially growing into a wider conflict in the Middle East. Wall Street opened higher after falling the previous day, but slid into loss during morning trading, while Europe's...

Despite global economic challenges, the region showcased resilience in the first half of 2023, backed by a robust performance in the construction sector.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 1.7 percent in September 2023, compared to September 2022, down from 2 percent in August 2023. This stability is due to the early economic measures taken by the Kingdom to counter the global rise in inflation rates, the...

The bank’s revenues rose 22 percent to US$39.9 billion.

Marrakesh, Morocco-- The war between Israel and Hamas has cast a shadow over the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Morocco, with warnings on Thursday that it has darkened the outlook for an already sluggish global economy. The global lenders are holding their gathering, which brings together finance ministers and central bankers...

Tourism and entertainment sectors are likely to help Saudi Arabia's non-oil GDP grow robustly in the coming years, despite a 6.5% drop in oil production, says a report.

The IMF kept its 2023 global growth forecast unchanged but warned that the economy is "limping along" as inflation remains high and the outlooks for China and Germany were downgraded. The IMF's updated World Economic Outlook still sees growth of 3.0 percent for this year but it cut its forecast...

Geneva, Switzerland - Global trade growth will be sharply lower than forecast this year as stubborn inflation, high interest rates and the war in Ukraine pressure economies around the globe, the World Trade Organization said on Thursday. Strains in China's vast property market also prompted the WTO to cut its trade...