Oil Prices Fluctuate, Impacted by Global Economy Slowdown

An oil tanker for blending to reproduce low-sulphur fuel oil with half-finished products of SK Trading International is seen during a marine blending at the sea off Singapore, September 20, 2018. (Reuters)
An oil tanker for blending to reproduce low-sulphur fuel oil with half-finished products of SK Trading International is seen during a marine blending at the sea off Singapore, September 20, 2018. (Reuters)
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Oil Prices Fluctuate, Impacted by Global Economy Slowdown

An oil tanker for blending to reproduce low-sulphur fuel oil with half-finished products of SK Trading International is seen during a marine blending at the sea off Singapore, September 20, 2018. (Reuters)
An oil tanker for blending to reproduce low-sulphur fuel oil with half-finished products of SK Trading International is seen during a marine blending at the sea off Singapore, September 20, 2018. (Reuters)

Oil prices returned to the normal with the end of the first week of November due to concerns over the growth of the global economy and the increase of oil supply. The last trading of Brent crude was at USD62.5 per barrel, which is a rise of 16.2 percent since the beginning of the year.

The trading relapsed from its highest score in four weeks on November 5, when it reached approximately USD63 per barrel.

The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) issued a report revealing that the whole indicators rose for three days due to signs of progress in the US-Sino commercial ties. It is possible to reach a commercial agreement in credit to the positive number of US jobs and manufacturing data.

These reports also noted that it is unlikely for OPEC+ to push towards more output cut during the ministerial meeting scheduled in December. This followed OPEC forecasts that the demand for global oil would grow 1 million barrels per day in the mid-term. US shale oil would rise sharply by 40 percent by 2025.

Further, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) reduced their forecasts for the global economy growth and the global demand for oil in October.

The IMF cited rising trade barriers and increased geopolitical and trade uncertainty among the factors driving a “synchronized” global slowdown that left growth in 2019 at 3.0 percent - the slowest since the financial crisis more than ten years ago. Projected economic growth in 2020 was reduced by 0.2 percent points to 3.4 percent.

The IEA reduced its estimates for 2019 by 65,000 barrels a day to growth of 1m bpd in its monthly oil market report. For 2020 it fell by 110,000 bpd to 1.2m bpd.

“We expect growth in 2019 to be the weakest since 2016, following evidence of a slowdown in several major consumer regions and countries, including Europe, India, Japan, South Korea and the US,” the IEA said.

Non-OPEC supply growth, led by robust US shale growth, dominates the supply outlook, helping to offset the cutbacks in production that OPEC+ orchestrated this year.

US crude production reached a historic high of 12.6m bpd in October. The IEA sees US crude oil production alone increasing by 1.2m bpd in 2019 and 0.9m bpd in 2020, which accounts for at least 75 percent of the crude that OPEC+ removed from the market.



ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Plans to Quit Before Macron's Term Ends

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
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ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Plans to Quit Before Macron's Term Ends

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde plans to leave her job before next year's French presidential election to allow Emmanuel Macron to have an input into picking her successor, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Lagarde's term is due to end in October 2027 but some fear that the far right may win the French presidential race ‌in the spring of ‌2027, complicating the selection for the ‌new ⁠leader of Europe's most ⁠important financial institution.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, the FT said Lagarde has not yet decided on the exact timing of her departure but was keen on Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to be the key deciders in who succeeds her. Macron cannot run again for a third term.

"President Lagarde is ⁠totally focused on her mission and has not ‌taken any decision regarding the end ‌of her term," Reuters quoted an ECB spokesperson as saying.

The FT report comes only ‌a week after Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau ‌said he would step down in June this year, more than a year before the end of his term, allowing Macron to name his replacement before the presidential election that the far-right could win.

While it ‌will be up to all leaders from the 21-nation euro zone to pick Lagarde's successor, ⁠past practice ⁠suggests that any successful candidate must have both German and French support to clinch the role.

There are no formal candidates for the job yet but several names have been floating among ECB circles as potential ECB presidents. The most prominent among these are former Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot and Bank for International Settlements General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos.

Lagarde's non-renewable term at the ECB runs until October 31, 2027. Prior to heading the ECB, she was managing director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019 and before that, the French finance minister.


UK Inflation Falls to 3.0% in January

Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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UK Inflation Falls to 3.0% in January

Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Britain's annual ‌rate of consumer price inflation fell to 3.0% in January from 3.4% in December, official figures showed on Wednesday.

A Reuters poll of economists had shown a median forecast of 3.0% in January and the Bank of England projected earlier this month that the headline measure of inflation would slow to ‌2.9%.

British inflation ‌has run higher than in ‌the ⁠United States and in ⁠the euro zone where it stood at 2.4% and 1.7% respectively in January.

But the BoE expects the pace of price rises to slow sharply to almost its 2% target in ⁠April as last year's rises ‌in utility costs and ‌other government-controlled tariffs fall out of ‌the annual comparison.

Investors expect the central bank ‌to cut its benchmark interest rate to 3.5% at its next meeting in March after a tight vote to keep borrowing costs ‌on hold in February although some policymakers remain worried about underlying ⁠inflation ⁠pressure.

Financial markets on Tuesday also priced a second quarter-point interest rate cut by the BoE by the end of in 2026.

ONS data last week painted a downbeat picture of Britain's economy at the end of 2025 with output barely growing. Figures released on Tuesday showed the labor market was still losing jobs although there were some signs of a stabilization.


Riyadh to Host Middle East’s Largest General Aviation Airshow in November 

The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)
The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)
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Riyadh to Host Middle East’s Largest General Aviation Airshow in November 

The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)
The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)

The Saudi Aviation Club announced that it will organize the AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 in Riyadh from November 24 to 28, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The event is set to be the largest of its kind for general aviation in the Middle East, combining international business, investment, and innovation with live flying displays and interactive public experiences. It is being held in partnership with Messe Frankfurt Saudi Arabia.

Held at Thumamah Airport, the exhibition will bring together leading global companies operating in the general aviation industry, including aircraft and components manufacturers, avionics and navigation systems providers, as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) companies, offering an integrated platform that covers the full value chain of the sector.

The event will also spotlight startups in advanced air mobility (AAM) and innovators of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, showcasing technologies and business models shaping the future of aviation.

General Supervisor of the Saudi Aviation Club Dr. Ahmed Alfahaid stated that AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 represents a qualitative leap for the Kingdom’s aviation sector and reinforces its positioning as a global hub for general aviation and advanced air mobility.

The partnership with Messe Frankfurt Saudi Arabia goes beyond presenting global innovations to providing a vital platform for international investment and strategic collaboration, he stressed.

Moreover, the event contributes to achieving Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, including the Kingdom’s ambition to rank among the world’s top 10 general aviation markets, he added.