Bahrain

BMI View : We believe that a GCC currency union will take place in either 2010, or potentially 2012. However we have reservations about the long-term sustainability of a single... 2007-01-18

Oman's decision to opt out of monetary union is significant, not so much in the act itself, but in the comments it drew from GCC finance ministers, particularly the Saudi minister,... 2006-12-13

We expect to see growth of near 7% in 2006, bolstered by the spike in oil prices this year. Inflationary pressures are on the rise and we forecast the consumer price index (CPI) to... 2006-11-28

The run up to the recent elections was tense, with reports of sabotage (burning of campaign tents and tearing down of posters). Only one of the 18 female candidates won a seat in... 2006-11-28

BMI View: We expect growth of 7% in 2006 and 6.7% in 2007, falling to an average 4.8% in 2008-10 as oil prices

BMI View: The new central bank will maintain the dinar's peg to the dollar and will cut rates from 2007, roughly in line with the US.

BMI View: Opposition parties will make large gains in the October elections, and may between them hold a majority in parliament. However, government reforms will focus on economic... 2006-09-27

Bahrain is a close ally of the US, but this relationship faces some domestic opposition, which intensified in July and August owing to public anger at Washington's apparent support... 2006-09-25

In BMI's business environment rankings, the average score for the 14 Middle Eastern states surveyed is 51.9, just above the global average of 48.8. This suggests that as a whole,... 2006-07-26

BMI View: Our outlook for Bahrain has improved, largely as a result of higher oil price assumptions. We now expect the OPEC basket price to average US$61.5/bbl in 2006, which will... 2006-07-07