Development: Towards a bona fide bazaar
©Getty Street legal: a vendor walks past military police in Tahrir Square days after Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak’s 2011 downfall. Some regional policymakers want entry to the formal economy to…
IMF warns Middle East on need to reform
Economies across the Middle East need to introduce fiscal restraint and deeper reform to safeguard their futures, says the International Monetary Fund. The IMF’s biannual regional economic outlook projects growth…
Oman fund seeks to buy Blue City bonds
Oman’s sovereign wealth fund has offered to buy the bonds of Blue City, the ill-fated, $20bn Omani property project, marking the latest twist in one of the region’s biggest and…
Cameron sets sights on Saudi trade
David Cameron is poised to visit Saudi Arabia in the next leg of a Gulf tour aimed at boosting trade and investment as a series of political tensions threatens to…
Gold trade drives Turkey’s exports
The United Arab Emirates has confirmed its place as Turkey’s leading export market, with precious metals driving sales thanks to Iranian demand for gold. The UAE is a traditional entrepôt…
Spending leaves Gulf states ‘vulnerable’
©Bloomberg Growing concerns: construction under way in Riyadh this year Strong economic growth forecasts across Gulf countries mask a set of swelling uncertainties linked to heavy government spending, wider Arab…
Abu Dhabi tightens debt rules
Abu Dhabi is attempting to rein in boom-year borrowing that has triggered bailouts of state-linked companies and losses in parts of its swelling global investment portfolio. The oil-rich capital of…
Iranian parliament revises budget law
Iran’s parliament has revised its budget law in a bid to curb the populist policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad amid criticisms that these policies have made the country more vulnerable…
EU to impose tough new sanctions on Iran
The EU has agreed a package of economic sanctions against Iran that diplomats have described as the most biting and comprehensive since the establishment of an oil embargo earlier this…
Hyperinflation episodes: how does Iran measure up?
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