White papers and surveys covering issues relating to Middle East Investors. Private wealth in the Middle East region is unusually concentrated and some of the most frequently viewed research on Middle East issues covers family offices and private wealth management. Reports on trends in the sovereign wealth fund landscape have been popular, with SWFs such as ADIA and SAMA featuring prominently. Retirement attitudes and approaches to savings and retirement in the MENA region are also given coverage. Amongst the most popular articles in this section are those examining future trends in the Gulf, the investment outlook for Middle East markets and white papers on geopolitical issues in the MENA region.
In November 2016, Egypt adopted a flexible exchange rate policy that allowed its currency to float freely, in conjunction with a series of reforms tied to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending program. The reforms have started to have a positive impact on the economy. Inflows into local currency debt are increasing, and some investors are lengthening duration -- a sign of ...
Islamic economic thought and finance are rooted in Islamic ethics. Their ideals and means are not, however, exclusive to Islam. The principles of Islamic finance emphasize market-based risk-sharing modes of financing that promote assets and enterprise, deploy finance in service of the real economy, and facilitate redistribution of wealth and opportunity. ...
From June 2014 to January 2018, oil prices plummeted from $115 per barrel to $68 per barrel, a 41 percent decline. Prices reached a low of $28 on January 19, 2016.2 As a result, the oil-exporting countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) faced the longest
period ever recorded of monthly consecutive losses in foreign-exchange reserves. This policy briefing by the Brookings ...
Key Points: Vision 2030 and the Aramco privatization mark a decisive point to advance Saudi Arabia’s financial sector — a critical ingredient to the country’s economic transformation. Saudi’s “Financial Triad” remains partially incomplete with a sound banking system and a rapidly emerging equity market, but an immature bond market. The privatization of Saudi state ...
This detailed paper (51 pages) by the Dubai International Financial Centre provides a helpful overview of the current state, and outlook, for asset management investing in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) regions. The paper is split into five parts: Regional macroeconomic overview; Asset management industry overview and landscape; Asset and wealth management leading ...
This is the World Bank's latest report on the global economy's state and prospects. It covers a wide range of themes from emerging market debt levels, to recent developments in specific regions, to emerging characteristics of global trade.
The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. In the medium and long term, Arab societies and economies will experience widespread change on the back of underlying global trends and potential risks. This paper explores the the new economic context will mean for MENA economies.
As oil prices have declined dramatically over the past several years, MENA governments have been forced to develop and implement reforms to their economies and markets. This Letter from the Manager reviews the programs and their potential impact on individual MENA countries. We believe that 2017 will be the year when these regional reforms create the basis of a new norm, with ...
The world is about to experience the greatest geopolitical transformation in at least the past three generations. The United States’ need for oil has greatly diminished, and its goals in the Middle East have changed. The United States now views the world wholly in relation to its other interests. Global and local demographics, new outsiders in the area, and a new contest shaping ...
This 15-page paper by PwC examines the global trends impacting the Middle East and how governments and businesses in the region can succeed amidst these changes.
We expect oil prices broadly to stabilise in 2017—but prices will continue to be affected by geopolitical shocks in the region, which will also create tremors on financial markets.
Global recovery remains restrained. Growth is expected to remain weak in the GCC region, while fiscal and external balances have deteriorated. GCC policymakers continue to face a challenging environment with sustained low oil prices. Countries need to accelerate structural reforms to diversify their economies away from hydrocarbons and boost the role of the private sector.
This paper shows that a common evolution has been taking place across the GCC. For much of the 20th century, a de facto ‘oligarchic’ pact linking the ruling families and the national business elites was central to the maintenance of the authoritarian status quo. Even if some variations could be seen in the nature of this state–business relationship from one GCC country to ...
This research report, based on 3 years of Chatham House Future Trends research under the auspices of the GCC project, focuses on youth perspectives in a selection of Middle Eastern countries. It includes workshop partnerships with local research centres in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, investigating political Islam, citizenship, the economy, law, internal community relations, ...
This paper is part of an ongoing Shariah analysis of bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and applications of blockchain in Islamic finance. It aims to push discussions on these new issues and get feedback and comments from subject-matter experts and scholars for further development of the research.
While markets had largely priced in the US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions, we believe the balance of supply and demand dynamics will keep oil prices elevated in the near term, driving commodities higher. After years of lagging equities and bonds, commodities have outperformed traditional asset classes through the first four months of 2018, ...
Even though tensions in the Middle East have helped pep up prices of late, the shale revolution has brought down medium-term risks to oil prices and dramatically reduced future price expectations.
The development community is facing the challenge of mobilizing financing for long-term investments needed to eradicate poverty, provide education, access to clean water and fight climate change. It appears that there is no shortage of funds as trillions of dollars are invested in securities earning negligible or sometimes negative returns. The question remains: what are the key ...
FTSE Russell announced the classification of Saudi Arabia as a Secondary Emerging market within the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (GEIS) on March 28, 2018, as part of the Country Classification Interim Update. The Kingdom’s entry into the international equity markets marks a major milestone in its quest to grow and diversify its economy.
In November 2016, Egypt adopted a flexible exchange rate policy that allowed its currency to float freely, in conjunction with a series of reforms tied to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending program. The reforms have started to have a positive impact on the economy. Inflows into local currency debt are increasing, and some investors are lengthening duration -- a sign of ...
