Economy

We expect public expenditure in Kuwait to increase in 2012. Although government spending plans in recent years have been persistently hampered by political gridlock in parliament, we... 2012-01-31

We expect Saudi Arabia's external position to remain healthy for the foreseeable future. While moderating oil prices will shrink the trade surplus in 2012, we nevertheless forecast... 2012-01-30

We forecast headline inflation to come in at 26.3% y-o-y in 2011/12, (Iran's fiscal year ends on March 20). According to official figures, inflation currently stands at 20.6% y-o-y.... 2012-01-30

We are projecting a slight narrowing in the UAE's current account surplus in 2012 (to 7.6% of GDP from an estimated 8.7% in 2011), as hydrocarbon receipts fall and re-exports to Iran... 2012-01-27

Consumer price inflation in Bahrain came in at a three-month low of 0.2% y-o-y in December, bringing the average rate of headline price growth in 2011 to -0.4%. A key factor behind... 2012-01-27

In spite of a sharp increase in government spending, we continue to expect Qatar's budget position to remain healthy over the coming years. We are pencilling in a 36.3% y-o-y rise in... 2011-12-21

While inflationary pressure is set to remain pronounced in Yemen over the coming quarters, we expect the headline print to moderate in 2012 compared with 2011. We are forecasting average... 2011-12-21

We remain optimistic about the prospects for economic growth in Kuwait heading into next year. We have revised up our forecast for 2011 from 5.3% to 6.1% on the back of higher than... 2011-12-21

We retain a broadly sanguine outlook on the medium-term prospects for Saudi Arabia's external position. The spike in global energy prices throughout 2011 has left the current account... 2011-12-13

In early December, the government of the UAE granted approval to a draft law allowing foreign companies to acquire a more than 49% stake in local companies. This move is aimed at attracting... 2011-12-09