Egypt, UAE to Bolster Cooperation in Alternative Energy

Egyptian and Emirati officials during a meeting to discuss cooperation in car manufacturing (Egyptian government)
Egyptian and Emirati officials during a meeting to discuss cooperation in car manufacturing (Egyptian government)
TT

Egypt, UAE to Bolster Cooperation in Alternative Energy

Egyptian and Emirati officials during a meeting to discuss cooperation in car manufacturing (Egyptian government)
Egyptian and Emirati officials during a meeting to discuss cooperation in car manufacturing (Egyptian government)

Officials from the UAE and Egypt discussed joint manufacturing of cars that operate on alternative energy and dual power, one week after the visit of the UAE’s delegation to Cairo and the meeting between UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli.

Egypt's Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi discussed on Sunday with board chairman of UAE's M Glory Holding company Majida al Azazi and a number of company officials boosting bilateral cooperation.

The two sides tackled the progress rate of joint cooperation projects between the ministry and the UAE company as regards to manufacturing of bi-fuel pickup cars, Morsi said.

He added that a factory named the Egyptian Emirates Company for the Automotive Industry (under the acronym ‘EM’) will be set up to manufacture cars that operate on both natural gas and gasoline.

Actual production will start in the second half of 2023, he added.

He added that cooperation with the UAE company comes as part of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directives to expand in the use of natural gas as a fuel for cars to boost state's strategy for sustainable development.

For her part, Azazi said the partnership with Egypt seeks to secure needs of local and African markets in the bi-fuel pickup cars domain.

She lauded the role played by the Military Production Ministry in stimulating investments in Egypt.



Gold Hits Four-week Peak on Safe-haven Demand

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
TT

Gold Hits Four-week Peak on Safe-haven Demand

A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
A view shows ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk

Gold prices rose to a near four-week high on Thursday, supported by safe-haven demand, while investors weighed how US President-elect Donald Trump's policies would impact the economy and inflation.

Spot gold inched up 0.4% to $2,672.18 per ounce, as of 0918 a.m. ET (1418 GMT). US gold futures rose 0.7% to $2,691.80.

"Safe-haven demand is modestly supporting gold, offsetting downside pressure coming from a stronger dollar and higher rates," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.

The dollar index hovered near a one-week high, making gold less appealing for holders of other currencies, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield stayed near eight-month peaks, Reuters reported.

"Market uncertainty is likely to persist with the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump as the next US president," Staunovo said.

Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency to provide legal justification for a series of universal tariffs on allies and adversaries, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Trump will take office on Jan. 20 and his proposed tariffs could potentially ignite trade wars and inflation. In such a scenario, gold, considered a hedge against inflation, is likely to perform well.

Investors' focus now shifts to Friday's US nonfarm payrolls due at 08:30 a.m. ET for further clarity on the Federal Reserve's interest rate path.

Non-farm payrolls likely rose by 160,000 jobs in December after surging by 227,000 in November, a Reuters survey showed.

Gold hit a near four-week high on Wednesday after a weaker-than-expected US private employment report hinted that the Fed may be less cautious about easing rates this year.

However, minutes of the Fed's December policy meeting showed officials' concern that Trump's proposed tariffs and immigration policies may prolong the fight against rising prices.

High rates reduce the non-yielding asset's appeal.

The World Gold Council on Wednesday said physically-backed gold exchange-traded funds registered their first inflow in four years.

Spot silver rose 0.7% to $30.32 per ounce, platinum fell 0.8% to $948.55 and palladium shed 1.4% to $915.75.