The World Economy Is Holding Up, but the Recovery Is Splitting in Two
The IMF still sees 3% global growth in 2026, yet that headline hides a widening gap between technology-linked winners and economies squeezed by war and energy costs.
Jul 31, 2026

Search
60 stories for“economy”
The IMF still sees 3% global growth in 2026, yet that headline hides a widening gap between technology-linked winners and economies squeezed by war and energy costs.
Jul 31, 2026

A reduced growth forecast meets strong property activity, startup funding and recovering energy exports in the UAE's mixed July economic picture.
Jul 29, 2026

The IMF and UNCTAD describe a widening split: economies tied to chips and AI infrastructure are gaining momentum while many energy importers absorb the war shock.
Aug 2, 2026

Non-oil activity reached 79.4 percent of national output in the first quarter, growing at 4.8 percent while the overall economy grew 3. The gap between those figures is the story.
Aug 6, 2026

Early in the conflict the projections ran to 150 dollar oil and contracting Gulf economies. Halfway through August the numbers are less dramatic and more interesting than either the panic or the relief.
Aug 16, 2026

A war that closed the Strait of Hormuz and hit every GCC state should have broken the region's economics. Reserves and diversification kept it standing.
Jul 16, 2026

The UAE’s next growth chapter combines an AED 3 trillion economic goal with regulatory modernization, talent attraction and deeper global partnerships.
Jul 28, 2026

The UAE enters the next period with diversified trade, services and investment buffers. Energy and shipping volatility still make credit quality and project selection important.
Aug 2, 2026

52.8 per cent against reopening accession talks, on a turnout of 82.5 per cent. Fishing is 8 per cent of GDP and 40 per cent of exports, and the Common Fisheries Policy is the one thing membership would not have let Iceland keep.
Aug 31, 2026

The Kingdom’s most important economic story is the ecosystem forming across tourism, logistics, manufacturing, technology and clean infrastructure.
Jul 28, 2026

Saudi Arabia's May trade surplus rose sharply as oil exports increased and imports fell, while weaker non-oil exports show where the next test lies.
Jul 29, 2026

Roughly six trillion dollars of sovereign wealth now sits behind the region's funds. What that money buys, and where it is deployed, matters more to the next ten years than the oil price does.
Aug 8, 2026

A decade after Vision 2030 was announced, the non-oil economy is the majority of Saudi output, the sovereign fund has grown roughly sixfold, and about 1.3 million more Saudi women are in work. The record is strong, and the interesting part is the method.
Aug 22, 2026

A potential war is the wrong frame. Fighting began on 28 February and the strait closed on 4 March. The economic damage is real and measurable, and it is far smaller than the forecasts issued in the first month, for reasons worth understanding.
Aug 22, 2026

Shipping, insurance and construction costs are all higher because of the Iran conflict. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are pressing ahead with project awards anyway, and the reasoning is deliberate.
Aug 4, 2026

Long government borrowing costs are at multi-decade highs across the United States, Germany, France and Japan. The cause is not central bank policy. It is the sheer volume of debt being issued, and some of it is paying for data centres.
Aug 18, 2026

The Fed and ECB are both cautious, but their economies absorb the energy shock differently. Jobs, inflation and credit conditions will decide whether the policy gap widens.
Aug 2, 2026

Europe's policy rates are unchanged, yet banks expect lending standards to tighten again. The real economy may feel restraint even without another formal rate increase.
Aug 2, 2026

Solar, nuclear, storage, efficiency and hydrogen are being combined to support growth while building a more resilient and lower-carbon energy system.
Jul 28, 2026

The Kingdom’s transformation becomes durable when independent firms turn national investment into local services, specialist knowledge and lasting jobs.
Jul 28, 2026

The IMF sees Saudi growth recovering as maritime flows normalize. Diversified export routes, domestic demand and Vision 2030 investment are central to the resilience case.
Aug 2, 2026

The IEA expects global electricity use to grow 3.6% in 2026 and 3.8% in 2027. Cooling, industry, EVs and data centers are turning power capacity into an economic constraint.
Aug 2, 2026

A decade after its launch, Vision 2030 is moving from rapid transformation toward durable delivery, stronger institutions and opportunities that reach everyday life.
Jul 28, 2026

Persistent payment delays and rising default concerns are squeezing liquidity across the Emirates, in the same half that produced the region's largest volume of new project awards. Both things are connected.
Aug 17, 2026

Mohamed Alabbar told the AIM Congress the Iran war is an extraordinary situation and the market will adjust. Emaar's cancellations rose from 700 to 1,000 a month in the conflict and fell to 550 after the ceasefire. The Abu Dhabi train arrives on 30 September.
Sep 10, 2026

Weaker dividend income, higher operating costs and a bigger tax line pushed the Saudi investment house lower in the first half. Each of those pressures applies well beyond one company.
Aug 7, 2026

American forces hit Iranian launchers on Larak after the Guard was seen preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran answered at bases in Jordan and the UAE. It is the first exchange in over a month.
Sep 1, 2026

Profit rose 29 percent as Hormuz disruption pushed crude to $108 a barrel in the second quarter. The number says more about the strait than about the company.
Aug 6, 2026

Vision 2030’s lasting success will depend on whether young Saudis gain the skills, confidence and pathways to lead industries that are still taking shape.
Jul 28, 2026

Prices rose 0.4 per cent in August and 3.4 per cent over the year. Petrol is up 27 per cent, airfares 23. Core came in a tenth hotter than forecast, and futures moved from a coin toss to nine in ten for a quarter-point rise on 16 September. Stocks rose anyway.
Sep 12, 2026

Goods and services trade added about $2 trillion in the first half of 2026. Much of the rise reflects higher prices, leaving a more uneven volume story underneath.
Aug 2, 2026
