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  • Opening the TASI: What You Need to Know
     

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and the Middle East’s biggest economy, is about to complete a gradual process to open its stock market, known as the Tadawul or TASI, directly to international investors for the first time.  The initial step toward this action was to give other GCC countries the right to invest […]

     
  • “Milestone” oil manipulation case unsettles traders
     

    U.S. regulators’ $14 million settlement with high-frequency trading firm Optiver over oil price manipulation in 2007 is a “milestone” victory in their toughening stance on market malfeasance which is being closely watched by traders. In its first major case against an algorithmic trader, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said late on Thursday that a court […]

     
  • The arms spending map of the world
     

    How much do countries spend on their militaries? This data from the Stockholm International Peace research Institute shows the world in arms spending – both in dollars over time and as a percentage of GDP.

     
  • A Nuclear Iran: CNN
     

    What do we really know about the Iranian nuclear threat?  Iran says it wants the right to have its peaceful nuclear program formally recognized.  But from the outside, Iran has long given the impression it has something to hide.  And fear that Iran may soon have the capability to build a nuclear weapon, has spurred […]

     
  • Internet in the Middle East Still Short of Its Potential
     

    Last week’s third ArabNet conference for digital entrepreneurs in the MENA region was, by the standard of these things, a modest affair. But nonetheless it showed how the regional digital economy has grown, and how it is poised to take off. As one commentator said: “Jordan for the talent, Lebanon for the creativity, Egypt for […]

     
  • Critical Commercial and Economic Ties: Interview with Jose Fernandez
     

    The 2nd US-Saudi Business Opportunities Forum in Atlanta in December brought together a high level delegation of over 200 Saudi officials and business people with over 1000 Americans to explore the $1 trillion-plus commercial openings available in the coming decade in the Kingdom. The response to the Forum – and what it means for American investment and […]

     
  • Car-nage
     

    In his weekly piece for Arab News, Abdulateef Al-Mulhim takes a look at the extraordinary toll exacted on Saudi roads. With well-engineered roads and streets and access to the latest and safest automobiles, he says, Saudi Arabia still leads the world in highway fatalities. He offers a few ideas about how to gain control over […]

     
  • What to Know About the TASI Opening
     

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and the Middle East’s biggest economy, is about to complete a gradual process to open its stock market, known as the Tadawul or TASI, directly to international investors for the first time. The initial step toward this action was to give other GCC countries the right to invest […]

     

MUST-READS

  • Is the Middle East next on Putin’s agenda? What the US can do to prepare

    Russia does not separate the world into compartments the way the United States government does. For Russia, Syria is an integral cog in its global campaign to displace the United States — one in which the United States will again be presented with the choice to escalate or step down.

  • Are Saudi residents buying into cryptocurrency?

    While digitisation has revolutionised the banking sector, it has also facilitated the growth of digital currencies. Over the last few years, the cryptocurrency market has expanded rapidly, with three-quarters of residents (77%) in Saudi Arabia claiming to be aware of it as an asset class, according to the latest YouGov survey.

  • The UN Resolution on Ukraine: How Did the Middle East Vote?

    During the session, members voted overwhelmingly (141-5) to pass a resolution denouncing the invasion and demanding that Moscow withdraw its military presence. Thirteen countries in the Middle East and North Africa voted in support of the measure, one voted against it, four abstained, and one did not vote

  • What Does the Saudi Regional Headquarters Program Mean for Companies Doing Business in the Region?

    An RHQ is currently defined as a unit of a multinational company established under the laws of Saudi Arabia for the purpose of supporting, managing, and providing strategic direction to its branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates operating in the MENA region.

  • Ukraine and oil markets: how will Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ respond?

    A look at the oil market and Saudi oil exports as the Russian invasion in Ukraine rages. Where is Saudi Arabia’s oil going now, and what’s next for energy markets? With oil now headed over $100 a barrel on Brent and possibly even higher as the situation in Ukraine deteriorates, Washington is already in close coordination with Saudi Arabia on energy markets. Russia of course is a big player in the oil markets – making up the “plus” in the new market-setting cartel “OPEC+,” which adds a layer of complexity to the crisis in Ukraine and as as sanctions against Russia start to ratchet up, although the West is not sanctioning the Russian oil sector yet.

  • As the Ukraine Crisis Mounts, Can the U.S. Claim Energy Independence?

    In 2020, for the first time in 69 years, the U.S. exported more energy than it imported. The numbers for 2021 aren’t all in yet, but everything is pointing to an even bigger energy surplus. The long journey that began during the 1973 oil crisis with President Richard Nixon’s “Project Independence” and its goal of “achieving self-sufficiency in energy” would seem to have ended.

  • Neom: What’s the green truth behind a planned eco-city in the Saudi desert?

    Covering a total area of over 26,500 sq-km (10,230 sq-miles) - larger than Kuwait or Israel - Neom will, developers claim, exist entirely outside the confines of the current Saudi judicial system, governed by an autonomous legal system that will be drafted up by investors.

  • Neom: What’s the green truth behind a planned eco-city in the Saudi desert?

    The Line will be built in stages, block by block. "People say this is some crazy project that's going to cost gazillions, but it's going to be built module by module, in a manner that meets demand," he says. Much like Barcelona's traffic-free "superblocks", he explains that each square will be self-sufficient and contain amenities such as shops and schools so that anything people need will be a five-minute walk or cycle away. When complete, travel along The Line will be via hyper-speed trains, with the longest journey "never more than 20 minutes", the developers claim.

  • Turkey-Saudi Normalization: A Larger Regional Bloc at the Door?

    Turkey’s success as a rising independent defense model may encourage Saudi Arabia to do the same, either by cooperating or following Turkey’s footsteps. For both, the issue is to find alternative destinations for arms exports and imports. Saudi Arabia may look to Turkey not only for drones but also for “missile and radar technologies, electronic warfare, and air defense systems,” argues Furkan Halit Yolcu

  • What Does This Year Hold For Saudi Arabia’s ESG-Focused Islamic Bond?

    The green bond market reached $517.4bn in 2021, according to Climate Bonds Market Intelligence. Nearly double last year’s total of $270bn, this is the highest figure since market inception and marks the 10th record year in a row.