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 The Leadership Forum for the Transformation to Accrual Accounting was organized by the Ministry of Finance in Riyadh on Tuesday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia to Open First Financial Center with Unified Policies, Guidelines

Chairman of the Steering Committee at the Ministry of Finance, Abdulaziz Al-Furaih, announced on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia was preparing to open the first…

Business An employee inside an oil refinery in India (Reuters)

India Increases Oil Imports from Saudi Arabia in December

India increased imports of Saudi oil in December as payment problems drove its Russian oil buys to an 11-month low, with at least five cargoes of the sweet…

Asharq Al Awsat (New Delhi)
Business People stroll at the main shopping and pedestrian street of Istiklal on New Year's eve in central Istanbul, Türkiye December 31, 2023. (Reuters)

Turkish Inflation Ends Year at Almost 64.8%, and Seen Rising Further 

Türkiye’s annual inflation rate climbed to 64.77% in December, official data showed on Wednesday, sustaining an upward trend that is expected to continue in…

Business SPPC projects are in line with the Kingdom's ambition to reach zero neutrality for greenhouse gases. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Power Procurement Company Offers Bid for 4 Power Generation Projects

The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) announced the launch for bids of four Independent Power Plant Projects with a total capacity of 7,200 MW. The…

Business (FILES) Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk are seen in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 14, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON / AFP)

Maersk Extends Suspension of Red Sea Passage

Shipping giant Maersk said on Tuesday it would not resume passage through a key Red Sea strait "until further notice," after Yemeni houthis attacked one of its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The King Abdullah Financial Center in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s PIF Is World’s Most Active Sovereign Fund

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) topped sovereign funds globally during 2023, with investments amounting to $31.6 billion, distributed over 49 deals,…

Business The Saudi Center for Economic Business provides facilitated services to the business sector in the country (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Transformation Plans Achieve Record Results at Accelerated Pace

A system that operates under the National Transformation Program, one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030, has achieved record results at a fast pace during…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is expected to increase the UAE’s exports by 33%. (WAM)

UAE Expects Exports to Increase by 33% Through Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements

The UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is expected to increase the UAE’s exports by 33%. The CEPA program is projected to…

Business Saudi tourism witnessed tangible developments in 2023. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Achieves Record in Inbound Visitor Spending

Saudi tourism achieved a new record of incoming visitors’ spending, which exceeded SAR 100 billion ($26.6 billion) during the first three quarters of 2023. …

Business A security man in front of the gate of the West Qurna 1 oil field operating authority. (Reuters)

Iraq to Boost West Qurna 1 Production by 50K bpd

US energy giant ExxonMobil Corp has formally exited the West Qurna 1 oilfield in southern Iraq and handed over its operations to PetroChina as lead contractor,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business The deal marks a milestone for the industrial development of the Kingdom’s rapidly growing marine and off-grid power generation sectors. (SPA)

Makeen, Rolls-Royce Power Systems Forge Partnership to Manufacture mtu Engines in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Engines Manufacturing Company (Makeen), a joint venture between Aramco, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Dussur, signed a Framework License Agreement with…

Business Fireworks explode over the Nile River during New Year's Eve celebrations in Cairo, Egypt, 01 January 2024. (EPA)

Egypt’s Net Foreign Deficit Narrows in November

Egypt's deficit in net foreign assets narrowed by 5.26 billion Egyptian pounds ($170.5 million) in November to 834.0 billion pounds after commercial bank…

Business A passenger holds a tote bag with a sign that reads "#WithoutVisa" as Kosovo citizens start to travel to Schengen area without a visa for the first time, at Pristina Airport, near Pristina, Kosovo January 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Kosovars Celebrate Joining Europe’s Visa Free Schengen Zone

Hundreds of Kosovars rushed to Pristina airport to travel to EU countries on Monday after visas for Europe's open-borders Schengen zone were waived. …

Business A shopkeeper waits for customers in his stall adorned with graffiti supporting Palestinians in al-Darb al-Ahmar district in Cairo on December 4, 2023. (AFP)

Egypt Raises Price of Cairo Metro Tickets by up to 20%

Egypt's transport ministry raised the price of tickets on the Cairo metro by up to 20% on Monday, officials in metro stations said. Tickets for rides of…

Business Saudi Arabia intends to stop contracting any foreign company or commercial institution headquartered outside the Kingdom. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia: Contracting with Foreign Companies Now Tied to Regional Headquarters

Saudi Arabia is holding on to its decision that foreign companies will be required to base their regional headquarters in the Kingdom, which enters into effect…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business An Omani shopping at the souq in the city of Nizwa, about 160 kilometers southwest of the capital Muscat. (AFP)

Oman Sets 2024 Budget on Average Oil Price of $60/Bbl

Oman is forecasting a budget deficit of 640 million rials ($1.66 billion) this year, around 1.5% of the country's GDP, state TV reported on Monday, swinging…

Business The percentage of employees who have coverage for primary healthcare reached 89.7% (Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development)

45.8% of Employees in Saudi Arabia Work More than 40 Hours a Week

A total of 45.8% of employees in the Kingdom work for more than 40 hours per week, and 39.6% of employees work for 40 hours per week on average, the General…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The ceremony of signing an agreement between Saudi EXIM, Türkiye Finans Katilim Bankasi, and al-Baraka Türk Katilim Bankasi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Exim Inks Line of Credit Agreements with Türkiye Finans

Saudi Export-Import Bank (EXIM) has signed two credit line agreements with two Turkish banks with a total value of $51 million as part of the Kingdom's efforts…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business (FILES) Containers of Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk are seen in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 14, 2023. (Photo by SERGEI GAPON / AFP)

Maersk Pauses Red Sea Sailings after Houthi Attack

Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacked a Maersk container vessel with missiles and small boats, prompting the company to pause all sailing through the Red…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Transactions were executed on the shares of 19 companies listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market (WAM)

UAE Stocks Saw 212 Deals Valued at $8.5 Bn in 2023

The UAE stock market saw the completion of 212 large and direct transactions on 39 listed companies for 4.046 billion shares, valued at $8.5 billion, according…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business A glimpse of one of the specialized institutes in the industrial sector in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Aligns Education Outputs with Industrial, Mining Sector Job Demands

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Human Capacity Development Eng. Faris Alsaqabi said that the Ministry of Industry would…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The International Air Transport Association (IATA) anticipates aviation industry profits to reach $25.7 billion in 2024 (Reuters)

Arab Airlines Compete for Busiest Routes in 2023

The rekindled enthusiasm for travel has propelled airline companies to a swift and unprecedented recovery from the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. As of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Protesters wearing national flags, rally against the economic reforms of President Javier Milei outside the Supreme Court as labor unions legally challenge the measures, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Argentina Formally Announces it Won't Join BRICS

Argentina formally announced Friday that it won't join the BRICS bloc of developing economies. In a letter addressed to the leaders of Brazil, Russia,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Buenos Aires)
Business A woman takes a photograph of her children with a Christmas-themed decoration ahead of the celebration of 2024 New Year, in Beijing, China, 30 December 2023. EPA/WU HAO

China to Ease Visa Requirements for US Travelers

China will ease visa restrictions for people visiting from the United States, the country's latest effort to attract foreign travelers since reopening its…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beijing)