GFH Earns $42 Million in the First Half of 2022

 GFH Earns $42 Million in the First Half of 2022
TT

GFH Earns $42 Million in the First Half of 2022

 GFH Earns $42 Million in the First Half of 2022

GFH Financial Group announced a net profit of $23.06 million during the second quarter of 2022, an increase of 10.2 percent compared to $20.92 million for the second quarter of 2021.

The profit increase reflected the steady growth and continued progress of the Manama-based financial group.

GFH said that the main contributions included the income achieved from underwriting the group’s global investments, commercial banking activity and the sustainable infrastructure platform.

Earnings per share during the second quarter amounted to 0.67 cents. The total income for the second quarter of 2022 amounted to $91.95 million, an increase of 1.5 percent, the consolidated net profit for the second quarter was $26.03 million, an increase of 4.9 percent, and the total expenses for the second quarter amounted to $65.92 million, an increase of 0.2 percent.

The net profit achieved for shareholders amounted to 42.18 million dollars for the first half of 2022, an increase of 13.9 percent, and earnings per share for this period amounted to 1.22 cents.

GFH Chairman Ghazi Al-Hajri said: “We have built our investment portfolio across the Middle East, Europe and the United States and listed our shares on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, which is the group’s fourth listing on a regional exchange, as this move is in line with efforts to expand our reach. geographic, shareholder base and enhanced visibility among key global and regional investors as we enter another phase of growth.”

“During this period, we also succeeded in separating the group’s infrastructure and real estate assets into Infracorp, which was capitalized with more than $1 billion in infrastructure and developed assets. This move aims to accelerate growth and investments in sustainable infrastructure assets and environments across the region and internationally.”

For his part, Hisham Al Rayes, CEO of GFH Financial Group, said: “During this period, we acquired a majority stake in Student Quarters Asset Management, a US-based student housing company, which strengthened our presence in the US real estate sector. and supporting half a billion dollars worth of new deals in the student housing sector during the first half of the year alone. Our commercial banking company, Khaleeji Commercial Bank, also performed well during this period.”

"We expect further progress in these key areas of our business. The continued expansion of our investment activities, deal flow and global presence will remain our top priority in the coming periods,” he added.



Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh China Stimulus Hopes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
TT

Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh China Stimulus Hopes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil edged lower on Thursday in light holiday trade as the dollar's strength offset hopes for additional fiscal stimulus in China, the world's biggest oil importer.

Brent crude futures settled down 32 cents, or 0.43%, at $73.26 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $69.62, down 0.68%, or 48 cents, from Tuesday's pre-Christmas settlement.

Chinese authorities have agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing two sources, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy.

"Injecting a stimulus into a nation's economy creates increased demand, and increased demand pushes prices higher," said Tim Snyder, chief economist at Matador Economics, Reuters reported.

The World Bank on Thursday raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2024 and 2025, but warned that subdued household and business confidence, along with headwinds in the property sector, would keep weighing it down next year.

The US dollar continued to edge up higher after hitting a milestone last week. A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.

The latest weekly report on US inventories, from the American Petroleum Institute industry group, showed crude stocks fell last week by 3.2 million barrels, market sources said on Tuesday.

Traders will be waiting to see if the official inventory report from the Energy Information Administration confirms the decline. The EIA data is due at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) on Friday, later than normal because of the Christmas holiday.

Analysts in a Reuters poll expect crude inventories fell by about 1.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 20, while gasoline and distillate inventories are seen falling by 1.1 million barrels and 0.3 million barrels respectively.

Elsewhere, southbound traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait was set to resume on Thursday, having been halted earlier in the day after a tanker suffered an engine failure, shipping agent Tribeca said.