Business

Gold Rallies as Dollar, Treasury Yields Soften after US Midterm Results

Business Gold chips displayed at a state-owned gold retail store in Surabaya, East Java (AFP)

Gold Rallies as Dollar, Treasury Yields Soften after US Midterm Results

Gold climbed to its highest level in over two weeks on Thursday as the fallout from the US midterm election results rippled through the global financial and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Hong Kong stocks rallied more than three percent on a broadly healthy day for Asian markets. Leung Man Hei / AFP

Tech Hit by New AI Worries on Positive Day for Most Markets

Tech firms tumbled Thursday as investors contemplated the outlook for the AI boom after Democrats swept the US midterms, partly on the back of growing anger…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Türkiye is rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity. But as host of COP31, the country faces growing pressure to match its clean energy ambitions with a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Yasin AKGUL / AFP

Türkiye Showcases Renewables Surge, but Leaves Coal Intact

On a windy hillside about an hour's drive northwest of Istanbul, the Catalca power plant was one of Türkiye's first large-scale wind farms and has been feeding…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Officials from the General Organization for Social Insurance at an earlier meeting with businessmen and businesswomen at the Riyadh Chamber (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Saudi Arabia's General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has made businesses that have ceased operations and exited the Saudi market eligible for a 100%…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A general view shows Ras Tanura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province (AFP)

From Aramco's Profits to State Budget Revenue: How Do Oil Proceeds Reach Government Coffers?

Saudi Aramco's financial results and Saudi Arabia's third-quarter budget performance report, released on the same day, revealed a divergence between the…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)

Business People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)

China Retaliates to EU Ban with Import Restrictions on Medical Devices

China's finance ministry said on Sunday it was restricting government purchases of medical devices from the European Union that exceed 45 million yuan ($6.3…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The Saudi capital, Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Booming Tourism Fuels Hotel Bookings and Local Hiring

Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector has continued its rapid growth, driving record demand for hotels and hospitality services and creating new jobs across the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: A banner depicting an European Union flag is reflected in a window outside the EU Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman//File Photo

EU to Stockpile Critical Minerals Over War Risk

Brussels says it will build up emergency stockpiles of critical minerals and cable repair kits as concerns mount over the EU’s vulnerability to attack. “The…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business A view of the logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) outside their headquarters in Vienna, Austria, November 30, 2023. (Reuters)

OPEC+ to Boost Oil Production by 548,000 Barrels per Day in August

Eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries say they will boost production by 548,000 barrels per day in August in a move that could further…

Business Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick listens to Senators speak during a Senate Appropriations hearing, June 4, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)

Japan Tariff Negotiator Held In-Depth Talks with Lutnick, Japanese Government Says

Japan's tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa held "in-depth exchanges" over the phone with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday and Saturday, the…

Business FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

Eight OPEC+ Alliance Members Move toward Output Hike at Meeting

Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other key members of the OPEC+ alliance will discuss crude production on Saturday, with analysts expecting the latest in a series…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP)

Saudi Business and Job Growth Hit 14-Year High

Business conditions in Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector improved notably in June, driven by a marked rise in customer demand and expanded production,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business (COMBO) This combination of pictures created on July 04, 2025 shows a Scandinavian airline SAS plane flying over Heathrow airport on the outskirts of London on January 15, 2024 (top) and an Air France-KLM plane taking off from Tegel 'Otto Lilienthal' Airport in Berlin on November 8, 2020. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS and Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

Air France-KLM to Take Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airline SAS

Air France-KLM plans to increase its stake in Scandinavian airline SAS to 60.5%, the latest step towards consolidating Europe's fragmented airline sector as…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The International Air Transport Association (IATA) logo is seen at the International Tourism Trade Fair ITB in Berlin, Germany, March 7, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch 

IATA: Air Cargo Demand Up 2.2% Despite Trade Disruptions

Total air cargo demand, measured in cargo ton-kilometers (CTK), rose by 2.2% compared to May 2024 levels, up 3.0% for international operations, according to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Geneva)
Business A view of the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, California, USA, 27 June 2025. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Oil Falls as Iran Affirms Commitment to Nuclear Treaty

Oil futures fell on Friday after Iran reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and amid expectations that major producers are set to agree to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef. (SPA)

Saudi Industry Minister Launches Second Phase of Saudi-Omani Industrial Integration

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and Omani Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Qais bin Mohammed Al…

Business  Pens lay on a table before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to sign President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)

IMF Says US Tax, Spending Bill Runs Counter to Deficit-Cutting Advice

The massive US tax and spending bill slated for a final vote in Congress runs counter to the International Monetary Fund's recommendations that Washington…

Business US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the US Capitol as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass US President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, June 27, 2025. (Reuters)

US Treasury Chief Sees 100 Countries Getting 10% Reciprocal Tariff

About 100 countries are likely to see a reciprocal tariff rate of 10%, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday, adding that he expects "a flurry"…

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

Oil Retreats on US Tariff Uncertainty and OPEC+ Supplies

Oil prices slipped on Thursday as the possibility of US tariffs being reinstated raised demand concerns ahead of an expected supply boost by major producers. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The Chikyu, pictured here in 2013, will drill around the remote island of Minami Torishima. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP/File

Japan Plans 'World First' Deep-sea Mineral Extraction

Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest trial of its kind, the director of a government innovation…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: 24 karat gold bars are seen at the United States West Point Mint facility in West Point, New York June 5, 2013.  REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo

Gold Holds in Narrow Range as Spotlight Shifts to US Jobs Data

Gold prices were stuck in range-bound trade on Thursday as investors awaited US non-farm payrolls data that could influence the Federal Reserve's timeline for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Engineer Waleed Al-Khuraiji attends Africa Day reception in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Pledges $25 Bln Investment to Support Africa

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced ambitious plans to scale up its diplomatic and economic presence in Africa, aiming to boost its investments on the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Foreign tourists visit AlUla, one of Saudi Arabia’s top heritage sites (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Foreign Tourist Spending in Saudi Arabia Tops $13 Bln in Q1

Saudi Arabia recorded a sharp rise in inbound visitor spending in the first quarter of 2025, with international tourists spending 49.4 billion riyals ($13.2…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Home to the Public Investment Fund (SPA)

Saudi Sovereign Fund Tops Global Governance, Sustainability Ranking

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been ranked the top sovereign wealth fund globally in the 2025 Governance, Sustainability, and Resilience (GSR)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Russia's Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo

Russian Central Bank Head Warns of Turbulent Times ahead Despite Slowing Inflation

The Russian economy has adapted to Western sanctions and inflation is now slowing, but turbulent times and major technological shifts lie ahead, central bank…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business An aerial view shows a crude oil tanker at an oil terminal off Waidiao island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China January 4, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS

Oil Prices Rise as Iran Suspends Cooperation with UN Nuclear Watchdog

Oil futures edged up on Wednesday as Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and markets weighed expectations of more supply from major…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A salesman chooses gold chains for people buying gold at a gold shop in Bangkok's Chinatown, Thailand, June 8, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom/File Photo

Gold Edges Higher on Fiscal Debt Concerns while Traders await US Jobs Data

Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday as investors shifted their focus to the US fiscal situation and lingering uncertainty ahead of the July 9 deadline for US…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business US dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Dollar Near 3-1/2 year Low as Fed Easing, Trump Bill in Focus

The US dollar edged off multi-year lows against major peers on Wednesday though remained under pressure as traders considered the potential impact of President…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A vendor (L) assists a customer at a roadside clothing stall in Jakarta on June 30, 2025. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

Indonesia Seeks Saudi Investment in Food Security, Technology

As Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto begins an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a senior Indonesian official confirmed that the trip reflects…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)