Business

World Food Prices Dip in October, but Remain Higher Than a Year Ago

Business A worker carries loaves of bread for sale at a bakery in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt November 4, 2026. (Reuters)

World Food Prices Dip in October, but Remain Higher Than a Year Ago

World food prices edged lower in October as weaker import demand contributed to monthly declines in cereal, dairy and meat prices, but were still nearly 6%…

Business Copper at the Aurubis copper smelting and refining plant in Hamburg, Germany. (Reuters)

Copper Falls, Set for Worst Week Since March on AI Rout

Copper dropped on Friday and was set for its biggest weekly drop in London since March, as a rout in technology stocks battered markets. Benchmark three…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Workers walk at Kalyon Karapinar solar power plant in Karapinar, Konya province, Türkiye, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

Emerging Economies Set to Match Advanced Nations’ Renewable Capacity Additions, IEA Says

Emerging ‌and developing economies outside China are expected to add as much new renewable energy capacity as advanced economies for the first time over…

Business Gold bracelets displayed in a shop window on Green Street, east London, UK, April 30, 2024. (AFP)

Gold Drops Over 1% on Higher Oil Prices; US Payrolls Data in Focus

Gold prices slipped on Friday as oil prices rebounded, fanning inflation worries and higher-for-longer interest rate expectations, while investors awaited key…

Business A pumpjack operates near Bakersfield, California, on Oct. 16. (AFP)

Oil Set for Sharp Weekly Drop but Middle East Supply Concerns Provide Floor

Oil prices are set for a sharp weekly drop on expectations of a de-escalation of the Iran war after US President Donald Trump's party suffered election losses,…


Business A view of the Jeddah Islamic Port. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Non-Oil Exports Reach Highest Levels Since 2022

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports have reached their highest levels since the second quarter of 2022, continuing to grow at a steady pace. By the end of the third…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business The logo of US networks giant Cisco Systems is seen in front of their headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France August 6, 2022. (Reuters)

CEO of Cisco Saudi Arabia: Our Investments in the Kingdom Continue to Support Digital Transformation

Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a strong commitment to IT infrastructure amid significant advancements in the Kingdom’s tech sector on global indices. This has…

Business FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold Drops Nearly 2% on Profit-booking, Trump's Treasury Secretary Pick

Gold dropped nearly 2% on Monday, weighed down by profit-taking after a five-session rally, with further pressure from the announcement of fund manager Scott…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas US August 22, 2018. Picture taken August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford//File Photo

Oil Prices Ease but Remain Near 2-week Highs on Russia, Iran Tensions

Oil prices retreated on Monday following 6% gains last week, but remained near two-week highs as geopolitical tensions grew between Western powers and major…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia to Host World Investment Conference on November 25-27

Under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the World Association of Investment Promotion…

Business  A family eats lunch near a store advertising a Black Friday sale at the Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, Virginia, on November 22, 2023. (AFP)

US Consumers to Bargain Hunt in Annual ‘Black Friday’ Spree

US shoppers are coming out in force this holiday season, but the festiveness is being tempered by inflationary pressures that have abated but not completely…

Business Officials from the Saudi Energy Ministry after the official announcement of joining the International Partnership for the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (Saudi Energy Ministry)

Saudi Arabia Joins International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy

The Saudi Energy Ministry announced Saturday that the Kingdom has officially joined the International Partnership for the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The event gathered specialists from 47 organizations from 33 countries; it served as a platform for discussing strategies, partnerships, and innovative solutions. - SPA

Saudi EXIM Hosts Global Risk Experts Meeting in Riyadh

The Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM) hosted the Berne Union's Country Risk Specialist Meeting, providing a platform for experts and thought leaders in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Saudi Arabia has made history by uniting the 193 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt the Riyadh Treaty on Design Law…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage

IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout on Saturday but warned that the economy remains vulnerable…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais attend a news briefing in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2024.  REUTERS/Olesya Astakhova

Russia's Novak: Oil Market Balanced Thanks to OPEC+

The global oil market is balanced thanks to the actions of OPEC+ countries and compliance with its quotas, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business (FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Trump Taps Scott Bessent for Treasury

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor Scott Bessent as US Treasury secretary, a key cabinet position with vast…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Moody's indicated that the rating upgrade and stable outlook are results of the Kingdom's ongoing progress in economic diversification. Reuters

Moody's Upgrades Saudi Arabia's Credit Rating

The credit rating agency “Moody’s Ratings” upgraded Saudi Arabia’s credit rating to “Aa3” in local and foreign currency, with a “stable” outlook. The agency…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Preparations in the Saudi capital ahead of hosting the COP16 conference on combating desertification (from the “COP16” page on the X platform)

FAO Aims for Key Outcomes at COP16 in Saudi Arabia

Dr. Abdul Hakim Elwaer, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stated that the organization will take an active role at…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beijing)
Business FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo

ECB's Lagarde Renews Integration Call as Trade War Looms

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde renewed her call for economic integration across Europe on Friday, arguing that intensifying global trade…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Russian President Vladimir Putin

Putin, Al-Sudani Discuss OPEC+ Coordination on Oil Price Stability

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Thursday discussed the importance of coordination between OPEC and OPEC+…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow) Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oilfield in Midland, Texas US August 22, 2018. Picture taken August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo

Oil Heads for Weekly Gains on Anxiety over Intensifying Ukraine War

Oil prices extended gains on Friday, heading for a weekly uptick of more than 4%, as the Ukraine war intensified with Russian President Vladimir Putin warning…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

US Treasury Targets Russia's Gazprombank with New Sanctions

The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia's Gazprombank on Thursday, the Treasury Department said, as President Joe Biden steps up actions to punish…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington )
Business Bitcoin tokens and a price chart are seen in this illustration picture taken November 21, 2024. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/Illustration

Bitcoin is at Doorstep of $100,000

Bitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of almost daily all-time highs since the US presidential election. The cryptocurrency…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Al-Falih said that local content policies are integral to the state’s strategy. (SPA)

Local Content in Saudi Government Projects Rises to 47% by Q3

The proportion of local content in Saudi government projects has grown significantly, rising from 33% in 2020 to approximately 47% by the end of the third…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih speaks at the Local Content Forum 2024 held in Riyadh. SPA

Saudi Investment Minister: Local Content is an Important Enabler for Economic Competitiveness

Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih stressed that local content is an important enabler for transforming the economy from a rentier system to a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business A man stands next to the logo of the United Nations Climate Change Conference "COP 29" in Azerbaijan (Reuters).

World Still Split Over Money as Clock Ticks on COP29

A fresh draft deal published Thursday at the deadlocked COP29 climate talks shows rich and poor countries still divided as time runs out to strike a finance…

Asharq Al Awsat