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 Employees carry out their work in one of the facilities affiliated with Saudi Aramco. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Cuts Arab Light Crude Price to Asia

Saudi Arabia on Sunday cut the February price of its flagship Arab Light crude to Asian customers to the lowest level in 27 months, a company statement showed…

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

Saudi Real Estate Forum to Discuss Innovations in the Sector

The sessions and activities of the Future of Real Estate 2024 Forum, which will be held in Riyadh on Jan. 22-24, will witness discussions on the real estate…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Egypt’s Minister of Transport Kamel El Wazir, RSPA Chairman Mohamed Abdel Rahim, and Regional CEO of AD Ports Ahmed al-Mutawa (WAM)

AD Ports Group, Red Sea Port Authority Sign Agreement to Boost Cruise Tourism in Egypt

Abu Dhabi Ports Group initiated a 15-year concession agreement with the Red Sea Port Authority (RSPA) to operate and manage three cruise terminals at Safaga,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business A woman shopping in a store around Europe (Reuters)

FAO: World Food Price Index Ends 2023 Some 10% Below 2022 Levels

The United Nations food agency's world price index ended last year about 10% below its 2022, with values in December also down from the previous month, helping…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business (FILES) Sailors pass by the Ebba Maersk container ship as they participate in the annual long-distance dhow sailing race, known as al-Gaffal, near Sir Abu Nuair island towards the Gulf emirate of Dubai on June 4, 2022. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP)

Maersk Diverts Ships Away from Red Sea

Maersk is diverting all container vessels from Red Sea routes around Africa's Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future, warning customers to prepare for…

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

OPEC December Oil Output Rises

OPEC oil output rose in December, a Reuters survey found on Friday, as increases in Iraq, Angola and Nigeria offset ongoing cuts by Saudi Arabia and other…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business (FILES) A working oil pumpjack is pictured in Taft, Kern County, California on September 21, 2023. US energy company APA Corporation has agreed to buy competitor Callon Petroleum in a transaction valued around $4.5 billion including debt, the firms announced January 4, 2024, marking the latest deal in the sector. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

Iran's Oil Trade with China Stalls as Tehran Demands Higher Prices

China's oil trade with Iran has stalled as Tehran withholds shipments and demands higher prices from its top client, tightening cheap supply for the world's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A ship carrying containers passes through the Egyptian Suez Canal (Suez Canal website)

Egypt’s Trade Deficit Declines by 16.6%

Egypt’s trade balance deficit declined by 16.6 percent to $3.15 billion in October 2023, compared to $3.78 billion in the same month of 2022. The Central…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business A tourism project in the Red Sea (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Seeks to Upgrade Tourism Services in Coastal Areas

The Saudi Red Sea Authority began its field visits to issue the necessary licenses for navigational and maritime tourism activities in the Red Sea, in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Business Saudi Arabia continues to localize pharmaceutical industries with billion-dollar projects (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Launches Billion-Dollar Projects to Improve Industrial Sector

Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector witnessed billion-dollar investment deals and the opening of qualitative new factories in 2023, within efforts to advance the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: The McDonald's logo is seen outside the fast-food chain McDonald's in New York, US, October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo

McDonald's Says Several Markets in Middle East Impacted by Conflict

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski has said several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region were experiencing a "meaningful business impact" due…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A general view of Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour

Saudi Arabia Estimates 2024 Financing Needs at $23 bln

Saudi Arabia estimates financing needs of about 86 billion riyals ($22.93 billion) in 2024 under a borrowing plan approved by Finance Minister Mohammed Al…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A media briefing to shed light on the second edition of the World Defense Show (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Wide International Participation Expected at World Defense Show in Riyadh

A number of major international space companies are expected to participate in the second edition of the World Defense Show 2024, which will kick off in Riyadh…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi factories witness an increase in production volume (SPA)

Saudi Non-Oil Private Sector Achieves Fastest Growth in 6 Months

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued its steady growth in December, registering an increase that remained unchanged from November. This…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The Public Investment Fund (PIF)

Saudi PIF Raises Stake in MEPCO to 23.08%

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on Thursday that it has finalized an investment agreement with the Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO), a manufacturer…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The Saudi Business Center provides all services to facilitate the process of issuing commercial registers. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

1.4 Million Commercial Registers in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Ministry of Commerce said that more than 95,000 commercial registers were issued during the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of 23 percent…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business A vehicle showroom in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Files Charges against Automobile Establishments, Showrooms for Violating Competition Law

The Board of Directors of the General Authority for Competition (GAC) has given the green light to file charges against 79 establishments for violating the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business A 3D-printed oil pump jack is seen in front of the OPEC logo in this illustration picture, April 14, 2020. Reuters

OPEC+ Reaffirms Commitment to Unity to Maintain Market Stability

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said on Wednesday that cooperation and dialogue within the wider OPEC+ producer alliance will…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business General view of al-Zubair oil field near Basra, Iraq April 21, 2020. (Reuters)

Iraq Seeks to Increase Oil Production to 6 Million Barrels a Day

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani said on Wednesday that his ministry is working to increase oil production and implementing the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Industrial Investments in Saudi Arabia Reach SAR1.5 Trillion by End of Q3 2023

Investments in Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector have shown a quarterly growth rate of 1.5%, with a total value of approximately SAR1.5 trillion by the end of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business A general view shows Libya's Sharara oilfield on December 3, 2014. (Reuters)

Protests Shut Down Libya’s Sharara Oilfield

Local protests have forced a full shutdown of production at Libya's Sharara oilfield, which can produce up to 300,000 barrels per day, two engineers told…

Business A container ship passes through the Suez Canal in front of small boats waiting on the dock. (from the Suez Canal website)

Egypt: Red Sea Attacks Did not Significantly Affect the Suez Canal

Amr Al-Samadouni, Secretary-General of the International Transport and Logistics Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, said on Tuesday that tensions in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business A Houthi military helicopter flies over a cargo ship in the Red Sea. (Reuters)

Attacks on Red Sea Ships Disrupt Jordan’s Commercial Sector

Jordan relies on imports to cover the majority of its food needs, most of which cross the country’s only seaport of Bab al-Mandab strait, as the Houthi group…

Asharq Al Awsat (Amman)
Business Commercial ships dock at Jeddah Islamic Port (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Speeds up Development of Maritime, Logistics Sector with $4.5b Investments

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) said that it strengthened the Kingdom’s maritime, logistics and ports sector with investment projects amounting to around…

Asharq Al Awsat