GULF COUNTRIES
Analyst
Justin Alexander
Former Economic Advisor, Qatar Finance MinistryDatabanks
Recent Country Insights
Chartbook and economic review
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 12 Aug 2025 · 1 response
This chartbook and economic review provides a snapshot of the GCC across 17 slides. It starts with an overview of key themes impacting the region in recent months—such as tariffs, oil market trends and dollar weakness. There are comparative graphs of some of the key economic and market indicators...
GULF WEEKLY: OPEC+ hikes again, IMF Saudi Art IV, Kuwait’s finance minister resigns, Israel to fully occupy Gaza
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 08 Aug 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * OPEC+ hiked allocations for September by 547k b/d, fully unwinding the Jan-24 voluntary cuts. * Brent crude dipped midweek to a two-month low of $65 on the OPEC+ hike and US-Russia news. * MBZ visited Moscow as Putin said...
GULF WEEKLY: Saudi deficit narrows and GDP accelerates, Oman records strong FDI, UK will recognize Palestine
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 01 Aug 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * US tariffs on GCC states are remaining at 10%, providing a competitive edge on some other states. * The Saudi deficit narrowed to -3% of GDP in Q2, mainly due to a seasonal rise in tax revenue. * There was a record $36bn ...
GULF WEEKLY: Kuwait’s deficit narrows, Qatar bids for Olympics, UAE companies invest in Saudi, France will recognize Palestine
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 25 Jul 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * UAE-Saudi cooperation: Al-Futtaim invests in Cenomi and Air Arabia partners for a Dammam airline. * Deals worth $6bn were signed at the Saudi-Syrian investment forum in Damascus. * Dubai saw record home sales in Q2, and S...
GULF WEEKLY: Neom reviews The Line, Qatar Q2 deficit, Kuwait exits 2-year recession, Bahrain signs $17bn in US deals
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 18 Jul 2025 · 1 response
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Saudi oil production rose by 0.6m b/d in June, but only a third of this was supplied to the market. * Saudi Arabia’s local T-sukuk could get a 5.5% weight in the JPM GBI-EM index. * Neom may cut a fifth of its workforce a...
GULF WEEKLY: OPEC+ accelerates taper, Oman upgraded again, Saudi to expand foreign property ownership, Trump threatens BRICS tariff
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 11 Jul 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * OPEC+ is accelerating its taper by 0.55m b/d in August, more than had been expected. * The IEA estimates that Saudi production surged in June to 0.4m b/d above its quota. * Saudi Arabia was ranked 1st globally for ICT dev...
GULF WEEKLY: Qatar and Abu Dhabi GDP strong in Q1, Saudi current account returns to surplus, Oman Air joins oneworld
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 04 Jul 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil recovered to around $69, despite expectations of another OPEC+ hike. * The Iran ceasefire held, but Trump and Khamenei continued a war of words. * Saudi Arabia’s current account returned to surplus, but FDI dipped sli...
GULF WEEKLY: Oil drops and equities rebound as Iran war ends, Oman finalizes personal income tax, Kuwait moves towards bond issuance
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 27 Jun 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Qatar intercepted Iranian missiles and then helped mediate a ceasefire with the US and Israel. * This followed a US strike on Iranian nuclear sites, which caused severe damage. * Trump says there will be renewed nuclear t...
Iran fires missiles at US airbase in Qatar—possibly a stage-managed retaliation
GULF COUNTRIES · In Brief · 23 Jun 2025
In the last hour, Iran has been firing missiles at Qatar. This is an evolving situation, but here are some very preliminary thoughts: Of all the potential targets in the region, Qatar and Al-Udeid Airbase are probably the best defended, including with Patriot batteries.The base, which houses up t...