The Tunisian authorities will be able to draw down a further $249m from the $3bn four-year Extend- ed Fund Facility (EFF) following a successful third review of the programme in…

A fall in the state deficit in the first half of 2018 points to a determination by the authorities to get the public finances under control. Oman’s state budget deficit…

Morocco’s economic growth is expected to slow to 2.9 % in 2019 from a forecast 3.1% in 2018, according to government forecasts. The forecast by the country’s planning agency is…

Hopes of a resolution to the political situation in Libya, which will be an essential platform for build- ing a sustainable economic recovery, rest on holding credible elections by the…

The fall in the unemployment rate below 10% will be seen as a further reward for the economic reforms carried out as part of the $12bn rescue package from the…

The Algerian economy posted its first acceleration in the annual growth rate for a year in the first quarter of 2018. GDP expanded by 1.3% in the three months to…

Although official statistics are no longer available, evidence suggests that Yemen’s GDP has contracted by more than half cumulatively since 2015. Looking forward, economic prospects in 2018 and beyond will…

Hopes of continued strong economic growth received a boost in July 2018 from figures showed another strong month of activity in the non-oil private in June. The survey of purchasing…

Hopes that the decision by US President Donald Trump in October 2017 that he would formally lift a host of sanctions against Sudan would lead to swift relief for the…

The Qatari authorities have managed the immediate direct economic and financial impacts of the diplomatic rift between Qatar and some countries in the region “effectively”, the International Monetary Fund said…

The World Bank gave an upbeat outlook for the Kuwaiti economy in its April 2018 economic outlook. It expects growth to rebound to 3.5% in 2019, as OPEC-related production cuts…

The Saudi authorities have received a triple boost to their ambitions for a strong economic recovery after the downturn in 2017. The economy grew at annual pace of 1.2% in…

Egypt was able to celebrate achieving its first primary budget surplus in 15 years in the fiscal year that ended in June 2018. The surplus, which excludes debt interest payments,…

The World Bank gave an upbeat outlook for the Kuwaiti economy in its April 2018 economic outlook. It expects growth to rebound to 3.5% in 2019, as OPEC-related production cuts…

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait stepped in in June 2018 with a pledge for $2.5bn of aid to help alleviate austerity measures that have trigged mass protests…

Egypt is on track to achieve a primary budget surplus excluding interest payments in 2017/18, with general government debt as a share of GDP expected to decline for the first…

Activity in the non-oil private sector is rising at its fast level for two years. The survey of purchasing managers by Emirates NDB for May 2018 showed the headline index…

June 2018 marked a year since Qatar was plunged into a diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt. So far the tiny emirate appears to have weathered…

Protests marked the 70th anniversary of the expulsion of 700,000 people during the creation of Israel in 1948, leaving scores of Palestinian protestors dead amid claim and counter claim over…

The World Bank gave an upbeat outlook for the Kuwaiti economy in its April 2018 economic outlook. It expects growth to rebound to 3.5% in 2019, as OPEC-related production cuts…

There was a pronounced rebound in private sector growth in May 2018, following the all-time low recorded in April. The snapshot survey of purchasing managers across the private sector economy,…

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait stepped in in June 2018 with a pledge for $2.5bn of aid to help alleviate austerity measures that have trigged mass protests…

Egypt is on track to achieve a primary budget surplus excluding interest payments in 2017/18, with general government debt as a share of GDP expected to decline for the first…

The controversial Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has begun talks to form a government after unexpectedly winning more seats than incumbent prime minister Haider al-Abadi. The Shia cleric has been a…

In March 2018 Moody’s downgraded the long-term and senior unsecured bond ratings of Oman to Baa3 from Baa2. The outlook remains negative. The ratings agency was responding to a weakening…

The Tunisian authorities will be able to drawn down a further $257m from the $3bn four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) following a successful second review of the programme in April…

Hopes of a restart to peace talks appeared faint in May 2018 after a series of events showed that the threat of more aggravated conflict is more likely than any…

The decision by United States president Donald Trump in May 2018 to reject the multi-party deal on Iran’s nuclear programme and so reimpose sanctions threatens to have major economic impacts…

Egypt will receive a further $2bn from the International Monetary Fund following a successful third review of the country’s $12bn three-year Extended Fund Facility. The disbursement that was agreed after…

The International Monetary Fund used its April 2018 biannual forecasts to upgrade its outlook for growth for 2018-2010 as it raised its medium-term outlook. It now expects the economy to…