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 night view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Saudi Minister of Industry Announces Launch of National Automotive and Vehicles Academy

Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef announced on Tuesday the launch of the National Automotive and Vehicles Academy, the…

Business Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER). (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia, Switzerland Cooperate in Cleantech, Infrastructure and Logistic Services

Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), stressed that the opportunity is ripe…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Duqm Refinery is one of the joint investment projects between Oman and Kuwait (KUNA)

Sultan of Oman, Emir of Kuwait to Inaugurate $9 Bn Duqm Refinery on Wednesday

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and Kuwait Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah will attend the opening of Duqm Refinery and Petrochemical Industries on…

Asharq Al Awsat (Muscat)
Business Officials are seen at the Saudi-Swiss roundtable meeting in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Investment Minister: We Aspire to Become a Global Investment Hub

Saudi Arabia underscored on Monday its ambition to position itself as a global hub for logistics, finance, and industry. Saudi Minister of Investment…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business At the exhibition in Riyadh, KAI is showcasing advanced air combat systems like the FA-50 and KF-21 fighter jets, along with the Advanced Airborne Vehicle (AAV).

Major Contracts, Deals on Day Two of Saudi World Defense Show

The second day of the World Defense Show, founded by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), saw a flurry of deals and contracts…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh) Ayat Nur (Riyadh)
Business Consumer price inflation in Türkiye recorded its largest monthly jump since last August, with a rise of 6.7 percent in December. (Reuters)

Türkiye’s Inflation Sees Biggest Monthly Jump Since August, Nears 65% YoY

In January, Turkish inflation logged its biggest monthly jump since August, with a 6.7% rise from December, while year-on-year inflation hit nearly 65%,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Istanbul)
Business A sign for the US fast food restaurant chain McDonald's is seen outside one of their restaurants in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, near Brussels, Belgium September 5, 2023. (Reuters)

McDonald's Posts Rare Sales Miss as Middle East Boycott Weakens Overseas Business

McDonald's reported its first quarterly sales miss in nearly four years on Monday on weak sales growth at its international business division, partly due to…

Business A night view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Fitch Stresses Saudi Arabia’s Credit Rating at ‘A+’; with Stable Outlook

Fitch Ratings confirmed on Monday’s Saudi Arabia’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at “A+” with Stable Outlook. The agency said in…

Business According to Lockheed, these contracts will enhance manufacturing capabilities in Saudi Arabia and transfer expertise. (Lockheed website)

Saudi Companies to Make Parts for Lockheed's THAAD Defense System

US weapons maker Lockheed Martin has signed agreements for Saudi Arabian companies to manufacture parts of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar AlKhorayef during his tour of the World Defense Show. (X)

AlKhorayef to Asharq Al-Awsat: Incentives Offered to Empower Military Industries Investors

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar AlKhorayef shared with Asharq Al-Awsat that there are direct incentives for investors in the country’s…

Ayat Nur (Riyadh)
Business An image from the inaugural World Defense Show north of Riyadh. (Supplied)

Saudi Military Industry Flourishes: Localization Surge to 13.6%

The Saudi government is starting to see positive results from its efforts to boost the military, defense, and security industries. The localization rate of the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh) Ayat Nur (Riyadh)
Business The North Field East LNG project. (QNA)

QatarEnergy to Supply Condensate to Mitsui in 10-Year Deal

QatarEnergy has signed a deal to supply Mitsui & Co. Energy Trading in Singapore with 11 million barrels of condensate per year for 10 years starting in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Singapore)
Business (FILES) View of the Presidente Bernardes refinery of Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras, in Cubatao, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on November 4, 2021. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)

Oil Inches Up as US Plans More Strikes in Mideast

Oil prices nudged higher on Monday, recovering from sharp falls last week, after Washington pledged to launch further strikes on Iran-backed groups in the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The Saudi Falcons aerobatic flight team performs at the 'World Defense Show 2024', north of the Saudi capital Riyadh on February 4, 2024. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

Saudi Arabia Discusses Developing Cooperation with Airbus, Boeing

Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef has held a meeting with chiefs of Airbus Helicopters and Boeing and Global Saudi…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business People walk past souvenir shops in Marrakech in Morocco, October 1, 2023. (Reuters)

Morocco Trade Deficit Shrinks 7% on Tourism and Lower Imports

Morocco's annual trade deficit contracted by 7.3% to 286 billion dirhams ($28.6 billion) in 2023, helped by a drop in energy imports and higher tourism revenue…

Business The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is targeting broadening air connectivity with various international and local destinations, and transforming AlUla into a global logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Gulf Air Launches First Flight to AlUla International Airport

Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, launched on Saturday its first-ever flight to AlUla International Airport, from where the company will operate direct…

Business A ship carrying containers passes through the Suez Canal. (Reuters)

Suez Canal Revenues Drop 46% in January

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority reported that revenues for January 2024 witnessed a massive decrease of 46% compared to the same period in 2023, from $804 million…

Business Lebanese depositors are seen at in a sit-in in Beirut last week. (EPA)

Lebanon’s Central Bank Leads Way for Banking, Monetary Reforms

Lebanon’s Central Bank opened a segment of deposits that was “not eligible” for full recovery, according to the applicable government description, to monthly…

Ali Zeineddine (Beirut)
Business Fire catches on the Marlin Luanda oil tanker after a Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden. (dpa)

World Bank: Red Sea Attacks May Lead to Global Supply Crisis

The World Bank warned of a global crisis in supply chains if attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias on vessels in the Red Sea continued for an additional…

Mohammed Nasser (Taiz)
Business Gold was edging slightly higher as the dollar slipped - (file/Reuters)

Gold Edges Higher as Dollar Falls

Gold was edging slightly higher as the dollar slipped and Treasury yields fell, though other metal prices remained broadly mixed. The safe-haven precious…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip trying to obtain food aid in the south of the Strip. (dpa)

FAO: World Food Price Index Falls Near 3-Year Lows in January

The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in January to its lowest level in nearly three years, driven by declines in cereals and meat. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Former Türkiye's central bank governor Hafize Gaye Erkan - (X-Central Bank official account)

Türkiye Central Bank Chief Quits

Türkiye's central bank governor Hafize Gaye Erkan resigned on Friday, citing a need to protect her family amid a "reputation assassination", and she was…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A night view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file photo)

IMF: Prospects for Saudi Economy More Positive, Expected Growth of 5.5% in 2025

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its expectations for economic growth in Saudi Arabia, indicating a positive outlook for the Kingdom's economy…

Business The Committee will continue to monitor output. (Reuters)

OPEC+ Ministerial Committee: Ready for Additional Measures at Any Time

The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of OPEC+ has kept the oil output policy unchanged, stating readiness to take additional measures at any time. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)