GULF COUNTRIES
Analyst
Justin Alexander
Former Economic Advisor, Qatar Finance MinistryDatabanks
Recent Country Insights
GULF WEEKLY: Bahrain announces fiscal reforms, Oman projects small deficits until 2030, South Yemen clashes continue
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 02 Jan 2026
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Clashes in Yemen between UAE and Saudi-backed forces continued today. * Saudi Arabia’s current account deficit continued for a fifth quarter in Q3, narrowing to -2.6% of GDP. * Aramco reduced diesel subsidies, hiking the ...
Yemen conflict strains UAE-Saudi relations: events, outlook and implications
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 02 Jan 2026
* Saudi Arabia demanded that UAE-backed South Yemen separatists withdraw from the east. * It launched airstrikes on STC positions and on a military shipment from the UAE. * The UAE’s decision to withdraw its counterterrorism forces from Yemen may de-escalate bilateral tensions. * However, the ...
GULF WEEKLY: UAE non-oil growth soars, MGX buys into TikTok, IMF visits Kuwait, Oman-India CEPA signed
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 19 Dec 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Brent crude fell below $60 for the first time in nearly five years, despite the US blockade of Venezuela. * China’s foreign minister, visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE, called for progress on an FTA with the GCC. * Saudi ...
GULF WEEKLY: Oman upgraded, rates cut, SABIC quits Duqm project, STC advances in Yemen
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 12 Dec 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * The GCC mirrored the US -25bp cut; policy rates now range from 3.5% (Kuwait) to 4.5% (Bahrain). * Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are pitching in $24bn to Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. * Saudi non-oil GDP growth of 4...
GULF WEEKLY: Saudi budget, PMIs rise, UAE Q3 surplus, Bahrain’s CDS spreads spike
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 05 Dec 2025 · 1 response
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * OPEC+’s capacity audit will mainly be done by US firm D&M, bar sanctioned countries. * The budgeted Saudi spending cuts are mainly in capex and use of goods and services. * The finance minister reaffirmed an openness to ...
GULF WEEKLY: Dubai’s budget, Acwa Power finances 15GW of renewables, Bahrain downgraded & Kuwait upgraded
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 28 Nov 2025
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Aramco is considering privatization of its oil export terminals and selling some real estate assets. * Acwa Power secured $5.9bn in financing for 15GW of solar and wind projects. * PIF sold a 3.3% stake in Mecca developer...
Opposite directions for Bahrain and Kuwait: S&P downgrades one due to rising debt, but upgrades the other for the same reason
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 25 Nov 2025
S&P took two opposite rating actions on Friday. It downgraded Bahrain to a record low of B, the lowest in the GCC by far. At the same time, it upgraded Kuwait back to its 2021 level of AA-. In 2006, around the time I first visited the Gulf, Bahrain was only one notch below Kuwait (A- vs. A), but ...
GULF WEEKLY: MBS’s art of the deal in DC, UAE airlines order 322 planes, Oman’s widens narrows, UN authorizes Gaza plan
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 21 Nov 2025 · 1 response
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Brent crude dropped to $62, its lowest in a month, amid a renewed US effort for a Ukraine deal. * Stellantis is considering car manufacturing in KSA. FDI licenses increased by 84% y/y in Q3. * MBS’s visit to the US was se...
GULF WEEKLY: Construction powers Dubai GDP surge, Qatar’s deficit widens slightly, Saudi tourism gigaprojects to open soon, Sudani leads fragmented Iraqi election
GULF COUNTRIES · Report · 14 Nov 2025 · 1 response
A skimmable summary overlaid with our analysis and links. Headlines: * Oil is set for a weekly gain as a strike on a Russian export terminal briefly offset supply glut worries. * The IEA reinstated a “business as usual” scenario that would see oil demand growing until 2050. * Saudi Arabia re...