Business

US Economy Expanded at Solid 2.1% Pace in January-March, Government Says

Business President Donald Trump stands on stage after speaking at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

US Economy Expanded at Solid 2.1% Pace in January-March, Government Says

The US economy expanded at a solid and unexpected 2.1% annual pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Thursday in its final estimate…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business A handout picture released by Iraq's Prime Minister's Press Office on January 2, 2025, shows a partial view of the oil refinery of Baiji north of Baghdad, during the inauguration ceremony of the fourth and fifth units. (Iraq's Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)

Baghdad Urges OPEC to Raise Iraq's Production Quota

Baghdad has urged OPEC to increase Iraq's oil production quota, taking into account the damage done to its industry by its history of conflicts and the recent…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business General view of part of Cairo (Reuters)

Egypt Overhauls Nitrogen Fertilizer Export Levy, Exempts High-grade Ammonium Nitrate

Egypt has revamped its export tax regime for nitrogen fertilizers, replacing a fixed export tax with a 10% ad valorem duty on all nitrogenous fertilizer…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A worker displays gold bullion bar at the ABC Refinery in Sydney - AFP

Gold Lingers Near 7-month Low as Fed Hike Bets Boost Dollar

Gold fell for a third straight session on Thursday, lingering near a more than seven-month low it had reached in the previous session, as expectations of US…

Business A drilling rig operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field in Texas, USA (Reuters)

Oil Falls to Pre-war Levels on Rising Middle East Supply

Oil prices fell on Thursday to levels last seen before the start of the Iran war as expectations of rising supply from the Middle East outweighed demand…

Asharq Al Awsat

Business SpaceX employees celebrate the close of the company’s initial public offering on the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

Kingdom Holding-PIF Partnership Soars to $6.83 Billion on SpaceX Stake

Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company said the fair value of its stake in SpaceX has reached $6.83 billion, marking what the company described as a major…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Gold bars of various values are stored in a safe deposit room in Munich, Germany, January 28, 2026. (Reuters)

Gold Extends Gains After US, Iran Reach Peace Deal

Gold rose more than 2% on Monday after US and Iran officials said they had reached an initial agreement to end their war, pushing oil prices lower and easing…

Business A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, US, February 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Oil Slips $4 as US, Iran Reach Peace Deal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices slipped to their lowest since March on Monday after US President Donald Trump and Iran's deputy foreign minister said they had reached an initial…

Business The launch marks a key step in the carrier's strategy to expand its destination network from the Saudi capital. SPA

Riyadh Air Launches First Domestic Service to Jeddah

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new national carrier, launched on Sunday its first domestic flight from Riyadh to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Housing Surpasses One Million Contracts as 70% Homeownership Target Nears

Saudi Housing Surpasses One Million Contracts as 70% Homeownership Target Nears

Saudi Arabia continues to reshape its real estate sector at a rapid pace, achieving structural advances that have placed quality of life at the heart of urban…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Ali al-Zaidi has decided to cancel the Baghdad International Airport development project - File photo/Reuters

Iraq Cancels $764 million Baghdad Airport Project over Corruption Concerns

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has decided to cancel the Baghdad International Airport development project after corruption suspicions were raised, Iraqi…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, displayed on a screen remotely from SpaceX headquarters in Starbase, Texas, speaks before the launch of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on June 12, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Gulf Investors Shape Wall Street’s Biggest-Ever IPO

SpaceX shares began trading on Nasdaq at a market value of $1.78 trillion, turning Gulf capital's role from market speculation into a documented fact. Last…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and the Saudi delegation are seen during the meeting in Astana. (SPA)

Saudi Industry Minister Discusses Digital Transformation, Industrial Cooperation with Kazakh Ministers

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held two bilateral meetings in Astana with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister…

Business US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attends the 2026 Infrastructure Summit of government officials, corporate executives, and labor leaders, in Washington, DC, US, March 11, 2026. (Reuters)

US Refiners Can Still Absorb More Venezuelan Oil, Energy Secretary Wright Says

US refiners can still absorb more Venezuelan crude, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Friday, as the South American country's output bounces following the…

Business Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held a series of bilateral meetings in Astana on Friday with leaders of several Kazakh mining and metals companies. (SPA)

Saudi Industry Minister Discusses Mining Investment Opportunities with Kazakh Companies

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held a series of bilateral meetings in Astana on Friday with leaders of several Kazakh…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The SpaceX logo and a rising stock graph in this illustration, taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

SpaceX Leveraged Fund Providers Hit by Day-one Launch Setback, Sources Say

Asset managers eager to roll out leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to SpaceX on its first trading day have been told to delay the launch until Monday, four…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  A man carries goods on his shoulder on a hot day in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)

Türkiye Central Bank Commits to Continued Disinflation Path

Turkish Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan said on Friday that price stability remains the top priority and that the disinflation process will continue…

Business A US $100 dollar bill is seen on December 17, 2009. (Reuters)

Dollar Steadies as Traders Weigh Prospects for Iran Ceasefire

The dollar found its footing on Friday after sliding the previous day as traders waited for confirmation that a ceasefire deal in the Middle East could be…

Business Gold bangles are displayed inside a jewellery store in the old quarters of Delhi, India, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Gold Set for Weekly Loss as Inflation, Rate-Hike Fears Persist

Gold prices fell on Friday and were on track for a weekly loss, pressured by concerns around inflation and potential US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. …

Business People hold umbrellas in Piccadilly Circus, in London, Thursday, June 11, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

UK Economy Shrinks in April as Middle East War Hits

Britain's economy contracted in April as the Middle East war hit growth, official data showed Friday, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) outside their headquarters in Vienna, Austria, November 30, 2023. (Reuters)

Iran’s Oil Production Slumped Due to US Blockade, Closure of Hormuz

Iran's oil supplies have registered a sharp decline since the tightening of the US naval blockade and the near-total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business FILE PHOTO: A pump jack operates near a crude oil reserve in the Permian Basin oil field near Midland, Texas, US February 18, 2025.  REUTERS/Eli Hartman/File Photo

Oil Extends Losses as Trump Calls Off Planned Strikes on Iran

Oil prices fell over $1 on Friday, extending losses from the previous session after US President Donald Trump cancelled plans to strike Iran, reducing fears of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said Kazakhstan is a trusted partner in the critical minerals sector. (SPA)

Saudi Industry Minister Says Kazakhstan Is a Trusted Partner in Critical Minerals

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said Kazakhstan is a trusted partner in the critical minerals sector, which is essential for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: Dark clouds are seen over the building of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo

IMF Cuts 2026 Euro Zone Growth Forecast with Higher Inflation

The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the euro zone on Thursday and raised its expectation for inflation because of the US-Israeli war on…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Reuters file photo

Egypt Signs Deal to Transfer Shares in Wataniya 172 Fuel Stations to Taqa Arabia

Egypt signed an agreement on Thursday with Taqa Arabia to transfer ownership of a stake in 172 state-owned Wataniya fuel stations through a newly established…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business  In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 8, 2026, residents take a dip as cargo and commercial vessels lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /

Hormuz Shock Hits Gulf Economies, Saudi Arabia Takes Center Stage in 2026

The global economy is entering an extremely sensitive phase in 2026 amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have cast a heavy shadow…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)
Business FILE - SpaceX's mega rocket Starship prepares for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

SpaceX on Cusp of Record IPO that Could Make Musk a Trillionaire

SpaceX enters the final stretch Thursday before its expected trading on Wall Street as part of the biggest initial public offering in history, which could…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: Dark clouds are seen over the building of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo

ECB Set for 'Insurance Hike' as Iran War Fans Euro Zone Inflation

The European Central Bank is all but certain to raise interest rates on Thursday in the hope of nipping higher inflation in the bud before a surge in energy…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A vendor displays gold bracelets for sale at a gold shop in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (AFP)

Gold Rebounds from 6-month Low; Inflation Data in Focus

Gold prices rebounded from a six-month low on Thursday, as investors bought the metal at bargain prices while awaiting a key US inflation report that could…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)