Opinion Trade Trump in the Gulf: There’s substance behind the hype Was it all just for show? The investment agreements 'signed' during the trip are clearly ludicrous
Editor's Insight Trade Trump’s tour heralds a new era in US-Gulf relations In The Arabists: The Romance of an American Elite Robert Kaplan reminds us of the episode in which April Glaspie, then US ambassador to Ba’athist Iraq and “an Arabist of the old school”, met Saddam Hussain in July 1990. Glaspie failed explicitly to tell the Iraqi dictator, who was massing troops on the border and engaging in […]
Analysis Finance The multi-trillion dollar deals agreed on Trump’s trip During his trip to the Gulf region from May 13 to 16, US president Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE and announced a series of deals across a number of sectors, which, according to the White House, added up to nearly $2.5 trillion. Artificial intelligence Saudi Arabia’s newly-established AI developer Humain said […]
Opinion Trade Trump’s Gulf visit was grand – but the real test starts now Pledges and deals may change when reality hits
Opinion Energy Gulf welcomes Trump’s hands-off approach to energy policy Trillions were pledged in AI and energy, but Opec stayed out of the spotlight
Analysis Aviation Gulf aviation and politics intersect at 30,000 feet As headlines swirled around Qatar’s reported gifting of a private jet to President Donald Trump, the real political theatre last month unfolded in the skies above the Gulf. Within days of each other, regional carriers Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways revealed a combined 238-jet order from Boeing, the troubled US manufacturer, highlighting how aviation serves […] June 6, 2025
Trade Talks begin on US-UAE trade pact as metal tariffs double UAE officials are to begin negotiations toward a bilateral trade deal with the United States as part of efforts to secure lower tariffs on Emirati steel and aluminium products in particular. Washington and Abu Dhabi have agreed to commence talks after the idea was floated during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf in mid-May, […] June 5, 2025
Manufacturing Gulf exporters may weather US metal tariff hikes A sharp increase in US tariffs on aluminium and steel imports may inadvertently benefit Gulf producers, thanks to their competitive energy advantage and expanding export footprint. President Donald Trump has announced plans to double tariffs on aluminium and steel imports to 50 percent starting on Wednesday, escalating his administration’s protectionist stance amid ongoing global trade […] June 4, 2025
Markets Gulf stocks mixed as oil climbs on latest Trump tariff twist Equity markets across the Gulf had a mixed day on Thursday as a rebound in oil prices and a temporary lull in global volatility offered some respite following a US court ruling that struck down former President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures. Brent crude rose 1 percent to $63.78 a barrel by 15:00 Gulf Standard […] May 29, 2025
Trade EU launches UAE trade talks despite watchlist status The European Union has relaunched free trade talks with the UAE, even as it continues to keep the Gulf state on its money laundering watchlist, a designation that can pose risks for investors. In February last year the UAE was removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s grey list after being praised for reforms […] May 29, 2025
Video length: 03:36 VIDEO Real Estate Sharjah student market set for growth as US visas change The student population in Sharjah is one of the highest in the Emirates and is likely to increase since Donald Trump revealed plans to limit the number of visas for international students in the US. With 55,000 students currently living and studying in Sharjah, the emirate is rapidly establishing itself as the education capital of […] May 29, 2025
Oil & Gas Oil climbs 1% as US court blocks Trump’s tariffs Oil prices rose on Thursday after a US court blocked most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs from taking effect. Markets are also watching out for potential new US sanctions curbing Russian crude flows and an Opec+ decision on hiking output in July. Brent crude futures climbed 78 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $65.68 a barrel. US West […] May 29, 2025
Oil & Gas Saudi Aramco seeks funds through three-part bond sale Oil giant Saudi Aramco wants to raise funds through a dollar-denominated three-part bond sale, fixed income news service IFR reported on Tuesday. The debt deal, which is expected to be priced later in the day, will be benchmark-sized, which is usually considered to be at least $500 million. Earlier this month, Aramco reported a 4.6 percent drop in […] May 27, 2025
Analysis Trade Trump needs a good reason to walk the India-Gulf-Europe corridor President Donald Trump may reinvigorate efforts to establish a diplomatic and economic pathway from Europe to India through the Middle East. But trade advisers have told AGBI that, for the initiatives to gain fresh momentum in Washington, officials will need to outline more tangible benefits for the US. “The US is not part of the […] May 26, 2025
Tech Stargate UAE data centre to come online in 2026 The first phase of a massive new data centre agreed during Donald Trump’s visit to the UAE will come online in 2026. Stargate UAE is planned to be a 1 gigawatt data centre cluster capable of training AI models. The project is a collaboration between UAE-backed G42, ChatGPT creators OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Softbank Group and […] May 23, 2025
Opinion Logistics With sanctions lifted, Syria’s supply chain is cranking back into life The GCC was quick to recognise the opportunities May 23, 2025
Opinion Trade A Gulf perspective on Trump’s ‘palace in the sky’ Congressmen should perhaps ask themselves: is this so unusual, at least by standards in the Arabian Gulf? May 23, 2025
Opinion Trade In the Gulf, the US outpaces China where it counts Gulf states know there is more to gain from denser cooperation with US defence and tech companies May 21, 2025
Analysis Petrochemicals Trump’s China tariffs give relief to Saudi petrochems Saudi Arabia’s beleaguered petrochemicals industry, especially those that rely on propane gas to make their products, has received some welcome relief from an unexpected source: President Donald Trump and his trade tariffs on China. Trump’s first notable tariff moves against China – the world’s largest importer of propane – came in February. Beijing, which had […] May 21, 2025
Trade Qatar to double US investments Qatar’s $526 billion sovereign wealth fund intends to more than double the value of its investments in the US, CEO Mohammed Al-Sowaidi said this week. At a conference in the Qatari capital, Doha, Al Sowaidi said the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will be “probably buying more than double what we’ve been doing for the past […] May 21, 2025
Opinion Artificial Intelligence The UAE has a mighty backer in AI, but the US gets something too The two countries have laid the foundations for a long-term AI partnership that will benefit them both May 20, 2025
Markets Mubadala’s US portfolio hit by GlobalFoundries slump Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co suffered a paper loss of $2.7 billion on its majority stake in US semiconductor maker GlobalFoundries in the first quarter, US regulatory filings show. GlobalFoundries’ stock price has fallen by about half from its March 2022 peak, extending its decline this year. This lowered the value of […] May 20, 2025
Energy Adnoc says UAE and US to invest $440bn in energy The UAE and US will spend a combined total of $440 billion in the energy sector by 2035, the head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has said. The US is expected to invest $60 billion in UAE energy projects, a panel at the UAE-US economic dialogue said during US President Donald Trump’s visit […] May 16, 2025
Artificial Intelligence UAE and US to build largest AI campus outside America The US and UAE will develop a 10 square mile artificial intelligence campus in Abu Dhabi, according to a White House statement on Thursday. It will be the largest such facility outside of America. The announcement came as US President Donald Trump met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Qasr Al […] May 16, 2025
Tech US and UAE agree tech plan as Trump lands in Abu Dhabi US and Emirati officials agreed a framework to enhance exchanges in advanced technology as Donald Trump arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening on the third and final leg of his tour of the Gulf. The deal includes commitments from both sides to ensure the shared technology is handled securely, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed […] May 15, 2025
