GULF COUNTRIES
Analyst
Justin Alexander
Former Economic Advisor, Qatar Finance MinistryDatabanks
Recent Country Insights
GULF WEEKLY: Kuwait plans huge debt issuances, Gulf airlines achieve record profits, Bahrain may import Russian LNG
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 23 May 2025 · 2 responses
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil dipped to $64 on tariff worries, rising inventories and OPEC+ taper speculation. * A fifth round of US-Iran talks is underway, but Khamenei downplayed the prospects. * NEOM’s green hydrogen plant, opening next year, i...
GULF WEEKLY: Trump tours GCC, PIF launches AI champion, oil eases on talk of an Iran deal, Mumtalakat achieves record profit
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 16 May 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil prices eased back to $64 after Trump said on Thursday that an Iran deal might be close. * April data showed only a small rise in OPEC+ V8 output and continued Kazakh overproduction. * The White House counted $1trn in ...
GULF WEEKLY: Bahrain and Saudi deficits widen, Kuwait and Bahrain GDP slows, OPEC+ speeds taper, Flynas IPO announced
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 09 May 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * OPEC+ will boost output by 0.4 b/d in June, but the oil price still rose to $64 on US-China talks. * The US will fast-track some GCC investments and could ease AI chip export limitations. * Saudi Arabia recorded a -5% of ...
Saudi Q1 fiscal - no sign of spending cuts and a record increase in debt
GULF COUNTRIES · In Brief · 05 May 2025
The Ministry of Finance is getting timelier with its fiscal releases, publishing Q1 today, just five weeks after the quarter end and a week before Aramco's earnings. I will include some more analysis in the weekly report, but a few quick takeaways: The decline in oil revenue was as expected, give...
GULF WEEKLY: Saudi GDP revised up by 14%, $7.4bn in debt issued across GCC, Eric Trump launches GCC deals, Oman discusses US FTA
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 02 May 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil traded lower in advance of an OPEC+ meeting tomorrow that could accelerate the taper. * Despite positive noises after a 3rd US-Iran meeting in Oman, Trump threatened secondary sanctions. * The IMF’s REO forecasts see ...
GULF WEEKLY: IMF/WB revise down GCC forecasts, Adnoc signs Chinese LNG contracts, S&P puts Bahrain on Negative outlook
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 25 Apr 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Chatter that OPEC+ might accelerate its taper because of Kazakh overproduction weighed on oil. * There were some positive vibes regarding US-Iran talks, which will now involve a technical group. * The IMF and World Bank r...
GULF WEEKLY: US-Iran nuclear talks begin, Oman and Europe plan hydrogen corridor, Bahraini parliament calls for tariffs on US
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 17 Apr 2025 · 1 response
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil recovered to a two-week high of $67, and OPEC+ announced revised compensation cuts. * OPEC and the IEA both revised down both oil demand and supply forecasts due to US policies. * US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman seemed ...
GULF WEEKLY: UAE-EU trade talks launched, UAE & KSA do US LNG deals, Oman bank merger proposed, Bahrain tourism surges
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 11 Apr 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil touched a new four-year low, raising concerns about larger GCC deficits and financing needs. * US-Iran talks in Oman are scheduled tomorrow and may also be a factor weighing on the oil market. * Gulf equity markets de...
GULF WEEKLY: Oil drops $10 due to trade war and OPEC+ hike, Saudi Arabia’s current account falls into deficit, Abu Dhabi sees strong GDP growth, Bahrain’s FDI surges in Q4
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 04 Apr 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Brent oil crashed by $10 in two days to $65, a 4-year low, due largely to the US trade war. * OPEC+ also announced unexpected production hikes to punish Kazakh overproduction. * GCC states all have trade deficits with the...