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 Nissan Motors President and CEO Makoto Uchida. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Nissan CEO Admires Saudi Vision 2030, Says Region Boasts Massive Potential

Nissan Motors President and CEO Makoto Uchida stressed that the Middle East boasts major potential in the automotive industry, revealing that he was seeking…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Dubai)
Business Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo

Oil Prices Likely to Fall after Israel Shows Restraint in Strikes on Iran

Oil prices are expected to fall when trading resumes on Monday as Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran over the weekend bypassed Tehran's oil and nuclear…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business ‘Powering the Future Toward Net Zero’ Forum Starts Sunday in Dammam

‘Powering the Future Toward Net Zero’ Forum Starts Sunday in Dammam

The International Forum "Powering the Future Toward Net Zero", organized by the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) in collaboration…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

IMF Says International Community Should Provide Grants to Lebanon

The international community should work to end the conflict in the Middle East and provide grants to Lebanon, the head of the IMF's Middle East and Central…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business The Russian central bank. Reuters

Russian Central Bank Hikes Benchmark Rate to 21%

The Russian central bank hiked its key interest rate by 200 basis points (bps) on Friday to 21%, the highest level since February 2003. The central bank said…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow)
Business People inspect the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on October 25, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)

Watchdog FATF Places Lebanon on Financial Crime Watchlist

Lebanon has been placed on the so-called "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny by financial crime watchdog FATF, FATF said on Friday. "Of course…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jihad Azour (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Azour: Conflict in the Middle East Increases Uncertainty

The Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jihad Azour, stated that ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business The Director of Local Content and the Benaa Program at the Saudi Electricity Company, Mahmoud Basurrah (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Electricity Company: Value of Local Content Contribution Exceeded $40 Billion

Head of Local Content at the Saudi Electricity Company Mahmoud Basurrah announced on Thursday that local content exceeded SAR150 billion (around $40 billion)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: A NIO ET5 car model and the NIO EP9 sports car are pictured at the NIO House, the showroom of the Chinese premium smart electric vehicle manufacture NIO Inc. in Berlin, Germany August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

EU, China Agree to More Talks on Potential Alternatives to EV Tariffs

The European Union and China have agreed to hold further technical negotiations soon on possible alternatives to tariffs on China-built electric vehicles,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Saudi Non-Oil Exports Rise 7.5% in August

With Saudi Arabia experiencing significant growth in investments and improvements in logistics infrastructure, non-oil exports rose by 7.5% year-on-year in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a TV interview at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Samoa. Picture date: Friday, October 25, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS

Australia, UK Team Up to Back Clean Energy Technologies

Australia and Britain plan to work together to ramp up the deployment of renewable energy technologies, such as green hydrogen and offshore wind, to support…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources and UNIDO signed on Thursday an agreement in Riyadh. SPA

Saudi Arabia, UNIDO Sign Agreement to Promote Industrial Development in Kingdom

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director-General Gerd Müller…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during a news conference during the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

IMF Chief Says World Economy at Risk of Low-growth Malaise

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned on Thursday that the world is in danger of becoming mired in a low-growth, high-debt…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business This picture taken from the area of Dbayeh north of Beirut shows an oil tanker docked off the coast of Beirut on October 24, 2024 amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by Joseph EID / AFP)

Oil Prices Rise 1% as Mideast Attacks Heighten Supply Concerns

Oil prices rose more than 1% on Thursday, reversing some of the previous session's losses, as the Middle East conflict and reports of North Korean troops ready…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Putin welcomes Erdogan before their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, southern Russia, on Wednesday (Turkish media).

Erdogan, Putin Discuss Establishment of Power Plants, Gas Hub in Türkiye During BRICS Summit

Türkiye and Russia are moving towards expanding cooperation in the field of nuclear power plants and implementing an agreement to establish a hub for Russian…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources speaks at the opening of the Multilateral Industrial Policy Forum (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia: Setting Global Industrial Policies for a Future Based on Innovation, Sustainability

Global industry leaders at the Multilateral Industrial Policy Forum, which commenced on Wednesday in Riyadh, emphasized the need for international…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan during the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank for 2024 (Ministry of Finance)

Expectations of Accelerated Saudi Growth in 2025 as Oil Production Increases

Saudi Arabia’s economic growth is projected to accelerate to 4.4% in 2025, marking the fastest rate in three years, following a modest performance of 1.3% this…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman (Ministry of Energy)

Abdulaziz bin Salman: Saudi Arabia Adopts Approach to Localize All Supply Chains

Saudi Arabia is adopting a comprehensive approach aimed at accelerating the localization of supply chains from raw materials to final products, according to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Gold Bullion from the American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX) is seen in this picture taken in New York, September 15, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Gold Ticks Higher as Safe-Haven Bids Offset Firm Dollar

Gold prices drifted higher Thursday as safe-haven demand countered a firmer dollar, with analysts expecting record highs for bullion, while palladium hit its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The US last week announced a 10-nation coalition to counter the attacks in the Red Sea. - File Photo

Oil Slips on Higher US Crude Stocks, Market Watches Middle East

Oil prices fell on Wednesday after industry data showed US crude inventories swelled more than expected, though futures were still up about 2% this week as…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A periodic workshop for the Federation of Saudi Chambers with government agencies (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Private Sector Identifies Challenges in Preparation for Submission to Relevant Authorities

Saudi private companies and institutions are currently identifying challenges facing the commercial sector and proposing solutions to submit to the relevant…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A mining site in Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Industry’s website)

Saudi Arabia Announces 7 New Mining Exploration Licenses for Competition

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has invited both local and international investors to bid for seven new mining exploration licenses in the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The third edition of the Digital Transformation Forum for the Ministry of Human Resources was held in Jeddah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Ministry of Human Resources: Saudi Labor Market Not Affected by Seasonal Visas

Assistant Undersecretary for Systems and Business Development at the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources Dr. Ahmed Al-Abdullah said that the local labor market…

Saeed al-Abyad
Business IMF Chief Economist: Excess Consumption in US is Key Driver of Higher Chinese Trade Surpluses

IMF Chief Economist: Excess Consumption in US is Key Driver of Higher Chinese Trade Surpluses

China's industrial policy may be tipping the scales in some specific industries, but it is not the root cause of the country's growing exports and external…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)