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 People walk out of the Central Bank in Tunis, Tunisia, October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo

Fitch Ratings Upgrades Tunisia's Credit Rating to CCC+

Fitch Ratings has upgraded Tunisia’s credit rating to CCC+, reflecting growing confidence in the government’s ability to meet its significant financing needs. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Tunis)
Business The logo of British multinational oil and gas company BP is displayed at their booth during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo

BP to Sell its US Onshore Wind Business

British Petroleum (BP) plans to sell its US onshore wind energy business, it announced on Monday, saying the assets were not aligned with its growth plans. BP…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Citizens in the Chinese city of Shanghai follow repairs to power line in the aftermath of Typhoon Bebinca in Shanghai, China (AFP)

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup Cut China's 2024 Growth Forecast

Goldman Sachs and Citigroup have lowered their full-year projections for China's economic growth to 4.7%, after the world's second-largest economy's industrial…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beijing)
Business Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz addresses the 68th Session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. (Saudi Energy Ministry)

Saudi Arabia Forging Ahead in Building its First Nuclear Power Plant 

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz underlined on Monday the importance of the nuclear security and safety system and that the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)
Business The Saudi and British delegations meet in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Commerce Meets with British Counterpart to Strengthen Trade Ties

Saudi Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Economic and Social Committee of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi held talks…

Business Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly speaks at the meeting with the Saudi private sector at the Federation of Saudi Chambers in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

Saudi-Egyptian Investment Protection Deal to Be Implemented within 2 Months, Says Egypt PM

Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly announced on Monday that the Saudi-Egyptian Investment Protection Agreement has been finalized and will be…

Business Officials are seen at the signing ceremony in Vienna. (IAEA)

IAEA, Saudi Women and Energy Association Sign MoU to Boost Cooperation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Saudi Arabia’s Women and Energy Association signed in Vienna on Monday a Memorandum of Understanding to boost…

Business A general view shows Libya's Sharara oilfield. (File photo: Reuters)

Libyan Crude Exports Rose Sharply Last Week

Libyan crude exports reached about 550,000 barrels per day last week, a three-fold increase on the previous week, according to data from analytics firm Kpler…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Iranian reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian raises his fist as he arrives for his campaign rally, two days before a presidential election runoff following a first round marked by a historically low turnout, at a stadium in Tehran on July 3, 2024. (AFP)

Iran's President Says Boosting Economy Requires FATF Issues to be Fixed

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday in a televised news conference that to boost its troubled economy, Iran had no choice but to "fix issues"…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A general view shows Tahrir Square following the coronavirus outbreak in Cairo, Egypt July 13, 2020. (Reuters)

Egypt's CIB Appoints Chairman Ezz al-Arab as CEO

Commercial International Bank (CIB), Egypt's biggest private bank, has appointed long-serving chairman and former CEO Hisham Ezz al-Arab as its chief executive…

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

Gold Jumps to Record High on Fed Rate Cut Outlook

Gold prices charged to a record high on Monday as a weaker dollar and the prospects of aggressive US monetary policy easing boosted non-yielding bullion's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Residents clean up after flood waters receded in Hanoi on September 13, 2024. (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam Puts Typhoon Losses at $1.6 Billion

Typhoon Yagi caused $1.6 billion in economic losses in Vietnam, state media said Monday, as the UN's World Food Program said the deadly floods it triggered in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lumi signed an agreement with Saferoad to provide data-driven technical assistance to streamline its fleet services in Saudi Arabia. (Lumi)

Lumi CEO: Tourism, Business Recovery Contributed to Saudi Car Rental Sector’s Success

Azfar Shakeel, CEO of Lumi Car Rental, highlighted the company’s efforts to revolutionize mobility for individuals and businesses within and outside Saudi…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: A ship is moored near storage tanks at an oil refinery off the coast of Singapore October 17, 2008.  REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo

Oil Prices Climb on Fed Rate Cut Outlook

Oil prices rose in Asian trade on Monday amid expectations of a US interest rate cut this week, though gains were capped by persistent demand worries and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Ma’aden headquarters in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Ma’aden and American Alcoa Sign Share Purchase, Subscription Agreement

Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) and Alcoa, one of the world’s leading aluminium companies, announced on Sunday a Share Purchase and Subscription…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Argentine President Javier Milei attends a session of the National Congress to present the annual budget in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 15 September 2024. EPA/Juan Ignacio Roncoroni

Argentina's President Presents 2025 Budget, Vowing Austerity

Libertarian President Javier Milei of Argentina presented the 2025 budget to Congress late Sunday, outlining policy priorities that reflected his key pledge to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi MODON Signs Contract for First Food Factory in Jeddah

Saudi MODON Signs Contract for First Food Factory in Jeddah

The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) signed a contract with Nestlé to allocate a 117,000-square-meter industrial plot in the…

Business People are seen in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Reuters file)

GASTAT: Saudi Annual Inflation Rate Stands at 1.6% in August 2024

Saudi Arabia's annual inflation rate held steady at 1.6% in August 2024, indicating consistent stability over the year, revealed the General Authority for…

Business  Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Harry Reid International Airport to board a plane after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP)

US Voters Narrowly Support Trump’s Tariff Pitch, Poll Finds

Donald Trump's campaign vow to increase tariffs on imported goods, particularly from China, has the support of a narrow majority of US voters, illustrating his…

Business The restaurant and café sector plays a crucial role in Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life program and Vision 2030. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Investment Incentives Drive Growth in Saudi Restaurants and Cafés Sector

Saudi Arabia’s restaurant and café sector is experiencing rapid growth, fueled by a young population and rising disposable incomes, making the country an…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Cars drive off of Interstate 10 in Laplace, La., on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, as floodwater still covers the roadway two days after Hurricane Francine swept through the area. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Nearly 30% of US Gulf of Mexico Oil Output Offline after Storm

Nearly 30% of US Gulf of Mexico crude oil production and 41% of its natural gas production remained offline on Saturday following Hurricane Francine, the US…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Stacked containers and cranes are shown at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California (AFP)

US Locks in Steep Tariff Hikes on Chinese Imports

The Biden administration on Friday locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100% duty on electric vehicles, to strengthen protections for…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde attends a press conference following an informal meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and central bank heads of EU countries in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Tibor Illyes/MTI via AP)

ECB's Lagarde Rejects 'Political Pressure' after Italy Seeks Bigger Rate Cuts

The European Central Bank (ECB) is an independent institution not subject to any political pressure, its President Christine Lagarde said on Friday, rebuffing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Frankfurt )
Business The Edgar Thomas Plant of the United States Steel Corporation in Braddock, Pennsylvania, on October 27, 2022. Branden Eastwood/AFP/Getty Images

Nippon Steel, US Steel Send Letter to Biden on Merger Plans

Nippon Steel and US Steel have sent a letter to US President Joe Biden about their planned $15 billion merger after media reported that he was preparing to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tokyo)