• Stocks mixed, dollar firms on rate-hike fears

    Stock markets traded mixed as last week's optimism gave way to worries that central banks may wait longer than expected to end their policy of raising interest rates. After the Paris CAC 40 reached a fresh record-high at 7,552 points, profit-taking set in and the French index was flat in...
  • German inflation eases to 7.4% in March as high energy prices slide

    Berlin, Germany--Inflation in Germany eased to 7.4 percent in March, mainly thanks to government measures to bring down energy prices, final figures showed on Thursday. The data from federal statistics agency Destatis confirm a downward trend since annual inflation peaked at 10.4 percent in Europe's biggest economy in October -- revised...
  • US consumer inflation slows to 5% in March year-over-year

    US consumer inflation slowed in March lessening the pressure on the Federal Reserve to maintain its aggressive posture to cool the economy. The rate of inflation year-over-year fell to 5.0 percent last month from 6.0 percent in February, the smallest 12-month increase since May 2021, as per the Bureau of...
  • US should be cautious when setting interest-rate policy: Fed official

    In the wake of the fall of Silicon Valley Bank, the US Federal Reserve should be cautious in setting interest-rate policy. Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee said at a conference in Chicago that caution should be exercised until "we see how much work the headwinds are doing for us in...
  • World food prices fall for 12 consecutive months, says UN

    World food prices are still high but have fallen by a fifth compared to a year ago when prices soared to a monthly record high after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, UN data showed. Prices have fallen 20.5 percent since March 2022 after a 12th straight monthly drop, the Food...
  • EU bloc records highest ever trade deficit in 2022

    BRUSSELS, BELGIUM  - The EU trade in goods registered a large deficit of US$469 billion (€432 billion) in 2022, reaching its lowest level since the start of the time series in 2002. The deficit was due, in particular, to a steep rise in the value of energy imports, which started...
  • PPI of Industrial sector in Qatar down by 3.42% in February

    Doha, Qatar - The Producer Price Index (PPI) of the industrial sector in Qatar for February. 2023 declined 3.42 percent from the previous month and 7.23 percent year-over-year, official data showed Friday. Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) has released the new monthly PPI of the Industrial sector for February 2023,...
  • Lebanese pound plunges 100,000 to dollar as banks go on strike

    Officially pegged at 15,000 to the dollar, the pound was trading at 100,000 against the greenback, dealers said -- a dizzying plunge from 1,507 before the economic crisis hit in 2019. The currency's market value was at around 60,000 to the dollar in late January.
  • Norway earns record oil, gas revenue after Ukraine war prices rise

    Norway earned 1.5 trillion kroner ($140 billion) in revenues from oil and gas, according to estimates by Statistics Norway (SSB). It was "by far the highest ever recorded in the statistics" and almost three times the 498 billion kroner earned in 2021, according to SSB.
  • Proactive govt policies, high rates, slow global growth to lower impact of inflation in Gulf region

    The GCC countries are likely to benefit from the relative stability in their financial covers due to high oil prices and strong energy exports in 2022, reports suggest.
  • BASF to cut thousands of jobs

    It will also close down several units in Ludwigshafen.
  • Lebanese pound drops to new low against dollar

    With Lebanon's political and economic crisis showing no signs of abating, its currency on Wednesday hit a record low against the dollar on the black market. The pound has lost more than 95 percent of its value against the greenback since the beginning of the economic crisis in 2019.
  • Jordanians look to replace gas-guzzling cars with electric versions

    Amman, Jordan--Jordanians are increasingly adopting electric cars in a push towards abandoning the fuel-guzzling cars that have become so hard to run in the face of high fuel prices. Speaking at a workshop on the future of eco-friendly vehicles in Jordan, Khalaf Humeisat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of...
  • ExxonMobil posts bumper profits

    The oil company's profits during Q4 stood at $12.8bn.
  • ExxonMobil 2022 profit at $55.7bn

    Results reflect higher production of oil, natural gas.
  • Saudi TASI shines as UAE stocks give lackluster performance

    Shored up by healthcare, financial services, banking sector, and raw material companies, the Saudi equities posted gains throughout the weeks.
  • Oil prices retreat but remain buoyed by bullish China outlook

    Dubai, UAE-- Oil prices fell in early trade on Monday, but held on to most of last week's gains on the prospect of an economic recovery in top oil importer China this year. Brent crude futures retreated by 46 cents, or 0.5%, to $87.17 at 0031 GMT, while U.S. West...
  • Fuel products join in as gold and copper rally

    With activity in China unlikely to pick up in earnest until after the Lunar New Year holiday, the prospect of a lull in activity could be the trigger for a pause in the current rally – especially across industrial metals where copper has started the year with an 11% gain,...
  • Most Asian markets rise on optimism

    Inflation slows and China reopens to the world, give a boost to markets.
  • UK data shows retailers boosted by higher Christmas prices

    London, United Kingdom--British retailers won a boost from higher prices over the key Christmas trading period but the volume of goods sold slumped as sky-high inflation hits broader buying, data revealed Tuesday. Revenue jumped almost seven percent in December from a year earlier largely thanks to surging food prices, according to...
  • World food prices hit record high in 2022, rice becoming costlier

    Food prices soared to a monthly record high in March after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, a major supplier of wheat and cooking oil to the world. A Russian naval blockade that prevented Ukrainian grain exports was lifted following a deal in July that was brokered by Turkey and the...
  • Egyptians fret over soaring food prices as economy slows down

    Cairo, Egypt--Public anger has been growing for months in Egypt over a severe dollar crunch and soaring food prices. But for many a money-saving tip from a state body has been the last straw. As families have struggled to purchase household staples, an Egyptian government agency praised an alternative, cheap protein...
  • European gas prices fall to lowest level since record high in 2022

    A mild winter has enabled countries to tap less gas from stocks that were built up in anticipation of cuts in supplies from Russia, which was Europe's main supplier before the war.
  • Oil prices show no volatility as Russia unveils export ban

    New York, US--Russia on Tuesday banned oil sales to countries and companies that comply with a price cap agreed by Western nations, briefly helping to lift crude prices. "The supply of Russian oil and oil products to foreign legal entities and individuals is prohibited if the contracts for these supplies...
  • PIF leads Saudi Arabia on path of economic reforms

    In order to achieve the Vision 2030 goals, the PIF and its portfolio companies seek to help the kingdom grow its annual non-oil GDP by about seven percent.
  • US Fed’s preferred inflation gauge eases in November

    A key indicator of US inflation edged down from a year ago in November, according to government data, in welcome news to households grappling with soaring costs while spending slowed. This extends a downward inflation trend in recent months, though it is unlikely to bring quick relief from an aggressive...
  • Japan inflation at 3.7% in November, highest since 1981

    The November figure is well below the sky-high levels that have sparked concern in the United States, Britain and elsewhere, but far exceeds the Bank of Japan's long-term goal of 2.0 percent. Even excluding fresh food and energy, the index was up 2.8 percent. "Although low by international standards, Japanese...
  • UAE participates in First Framework Working Group meeting within G20 Finance Track

    BENGALURU, INDIA - The UAE participated in the first Framework Working Group (FWG) meeting within the G20 Finance Track, which was held on December 16-17 2022. Held for the first time under India’s G20 presidency in Bengaluru, the meeting sought to discuss the work plan for FWG in 2023, which...
  • Jordan arrests 44 after deadly fuel protests

    AMMAN, JORDAN - Jordan has arrested dozens of people accused of involvement in protests against rising fuel prices in which a senior police officer was gunned down, the country's security agency said Saturday. Colonel Abdul Razzaq Dalabeh, the deputy police chief of Maan province, died of a gunshot to the head...
  • UAE, Saudi equities rebound, record gains

    Saudi and the UAE equities beat sluggishness of the past few weeks, recording gains across many sectors, with Abu Dhabi index posting gains not seen since last October.
  • Stocks markets, oil prices extend losses as experts warn of stagflation

    After a healthy rally in recent weeks fuelled by signs that price rises were slowing, the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England this week crushed any Christmas spirit by hiking borrowing costs again by sizeable amounts and warning of more pain.
  • Top Jordan police officer killed in fuel price protests: Security Directorate

    Colonel Abdul Razzaq Dalabeh, the deputy police chief of Maan province, was shot in the head on Thursday while police tried to "calm down riots" in the southern town of Al-Husseiniya, the Public Security Directorate said in a statement.
  • US Fed poised for smaller rate hike with eye on wage growth

    But the half-point jump analysts expect to see in the Fed's benchmark lending rate will still be a steep rise, as it struggles to cool demand in the United States to bring consumer costs down. Households in the world's biggest economy have been contending with red-hot prices.
  • Saudi Arabia posts budget surplus, first in nearly a decade

    Thanks to high oil prices, Saudi Arabia has recorded its first annual budget surplus in almost a decade, beating its own projections. The kingdom's finance ministry said that the surplus for 2022 touched $27 billion, representing 2.6 percent of GDP.
  • OPEC likely to hold oil output levels steady

    Vienna, Austria— Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia look set to maintain their current output levels at a meeting Sunday, ahead of fresh sanctions against Moscow coming into force. The 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is due to consult with 10 other oil-producing nations, including...
  • UAE equities recover losses as Saudi index shed gains

    Propelled by First Abu Dhabi Bank, the Abu Dhabi index shot up 1.5 percent, reversing losses of three consecutive days even as Saudi index shed it gains on concerns about decline in crude oil prices.
  • Energy crisis driving climate-friendly power savings, says IEA

    PARIS, FRANCE - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven countries across the world to boost energy efficiency, creating "huge potential" to tackle high prices, security and climate change, the IEA said on Friday. Governments have scaled up fossil fuel subsidies to cushion the impact of rising energy costs on households...
  • World equities extend gains on Fed rate optimism

    Global stocks rose as Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell flagged a moderation in interest rate hikes, while China signaled a softer approach to fighting Covid. Asian and European equities tacked higher as investors eyed news that eurozone unemployment fell to a record 6.5 percent in October. Oil prices climbed before...
  • World Bank says remittances to lower income countries ease in 2022

    The World Bank estimates that cash transfers to low income countries eased this year as high prices ate up migrants' incomes. The bank said in a report that remittances to lower-income countries went up around five percent to $626 billion, lower than the 10.2 percent jump in 2021.
  • With gas prices up, Algeria hikes defense budget to US$23bn

    With its revenues buoyed by high hydrocarbon prices over the past year, Algeria intends to double its defense budget to $23 billion next year. Africa's top natural gas producer has seen a spike in tensions with its neighbor Morocco over the disputed Western Sahara.
  • Janet Yellen says ending war in Ukraine can mend global economy

    Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine that has fueled food and fuel prices, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said that the best way to end world economic tumult was to stop the Ukraine war. Speaking ahead of the G20 summit in Indonesia, she said, "ending Russia' war...
  • ArcelorMittal Q3 profit at $993m

    Firm is suffering from slowdown in China's economic growth.
  • Food prices declined in October, says Jordan trade minister

    AMMAN, JORDAN - Jordan Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply and Minister of Labor Yousef Shamali said Monday that food prices in the local market declined last month as global prices fell and also as a result of government measures. In a statement, the minister also attributed the decline to...
  • Oman state budget surplus $2.92 billion by September end: Ministry

    Muscat, Oman---Oman’s budget achieved a surplus of RO 1.123 billion ($2.92 billion) at the end of September 2022, the country's finance ministry reported in its Fiscal Performance Monthly Bulletin. For the same period last year, the budget reported a deficit of RO 1.030 billion. Oman’s public revenue stood at RO...
  • World food prices hold steady in October, says FAO

    World food prices held steady in October, though cereal prices rose over uncertainty of a deal giving safe passage for Ukrainian grains on the Black Sea, a UN agency said. Global food prices have been falling since hitting an all-time high in March in the wake of Russia's invasion of...
  • BP underlying Q3 profit at $8.2bn

    BP, flush with cash, revealed a $2.5 billion share buyback.
  • Aramco posts 39% rise in profits

    The third quarters profits were boosted by higher oil prices.
  • OMV Q3 net profit at $3.28bn amid high energy prices

    Revenue doubled year-on-year to US$17.1 billion.
  • TotalEnergies posts Q3 net profit of US$6.6bn

    Firm said surging oil, gas prices helped it post massive profits.
  • IEA says global emissions to peak in 2025

    Owing to surging energy prices fueled largely by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the IEA feels global emissions will peak in 2025 as investment in renewables has grown in the recent months. Last year, the IEA had said there was "no clear peak in sight" in energy emissions.