Business

Iraq Oil Output Exceeds 5 million bpd

Business Majnoon oil field near the Iraqi city of Basra (Reuters)

Iraq Oil Output Exceeds 5 million bpd

Iraq produces more than 5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), Oil Minister Basim Mohammed told state news agency INA on Saturday. According to Reuters, Iraq…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during the Annual Meetings Plenary at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 16, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

IMF: Any Slowdown in AI-driven Growth Would be Factor for Central Banks

Central bankers around the world would need to consider any slowdown in AI-driven growth as they assess steps in their fight against inflation, International…

Asharq Al Awsat
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 Riyadh, Amman to Establish Joint Government Committee

Riyadh, Amman to Establish Joint Government Committee

Jordan’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yousef Shamali revealed a Saudi-Jordanian action plan to enhance economic, industrial and agricultural…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business  Egypt Hikes Suez Canal Transit Fees for Ships

Egypt Hikes Suez Canal Transit Fees for Ships

Egypt increased transit fees Tuesday for ships passing through the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most crucial waterways, with hikes of up to 10%, officials…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi PIF Sets Framework for Green Financing

Saudi PIF Sets Framework for Green Financing

Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, laid out plans on Monday for raising green debt as the world's top oil exporter…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Turkish Manufacturing Activity Barely Grows in February

Turkish Manufacturing Activity Barely Grows in February

Turkish factory activity barely grew for a second straight month in February amid sharp price rises and a slowdown in production due to outages of natural gas…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Western Companies Head For the Exit in Russia as Sanctions Tighten

Western Companies Head For the Exit in Russia as Sanctions Tighten

Energy giant BP, global bank HSBC and the world's biggest aircraft leasing firm AerCap joined a growing list of companies looking to exit Russia on Monday, as…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan Sign Agreement to Invest in Renewable Energy

Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan Sign Agreement to Invest in Renewable Energy

A high-level Kyrgyz delegation discussed in Riyadh on Sunday means of bolstering ties with Saudi Arabia. Both sides signed five agreements that will…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business UAE's Non-Oil Foreign Trade Hits $517 Billion

UAE's Non-Oil Foreign Trade Hits $517 Billion

UAE's non-oil foreign trade reached 1.9 trillion dirhams ($517 billion) in 2021, representing a 27 percent increase from 2020 and an 11 percent increase from…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Kremlin Says Russia’s Economic Reality Has Changed, Stands by C.Bank

Kremlin Says Russia’s Economic Reality Has Changed, Stands by C.Bank

The Kremlin on Monday said Russia's economic reality had changed but saw no reason to doubt the effectiveness and reliability of the central bank, which hiked…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE, Egypt Sign Reinsurance Agreement to Bolster Trade and Economic Cooperation

UAE, Egypt Sign Reinsurance Agreement to Bolster Trade and Economic Cooperation

Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the UAE Federal export credit agency (ECA), and its Egyptian counterpart Export Credit Guarantee of Egypt (EGE) have signed a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Iraq Shuts Down Two Oil Fields with Half a Million bpd Capacity

Iraq Shuts Down Two Oil Fields with Half a Million bpd Capacity

Iraq stopped oil production from two southern fields with a combined capacity of almost half a million barrels a day. The shutdowns curtail the ability of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Italy's FM Visits Algeria with Eni CEO on Energy Cooperation

Italy's FM Visits Algeria with Eni CEO on Energy Cooperation

Italy's foreign minister is visiting Algeria with the head of energy group Eni to discuss energy cooperation in light of the Ukraine crisis, the ministry said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Russia’s Central Bank Sharply Raises Key Rate

Russia’s Central Bank Sharply Raises Key Rate

Russia’s Central Bank has sharply raised its key rate from 9.5% to 20% in a desperate attempt to shore up the plummeting ruble and prevent the run of banks…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Oil Surges, Equities Mostly Fall on Growing Ukraine Fears

Oil Surges, Equities Mostly Fall on Growing Ukraine Fears

Oil prices and safe havens surged Monday while equities mostly fell and the ruble plunged after world powers imposed fresh sanctions on Russia over its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia’s Maaden to Boost Capital by $3.2 Billion

Saudi Arabia’s Maaden to Boost Capital by $3.2 Billion

Saudi Arabia’s state miner, Maaden, has announced a profit and plans to boost its capital by $3.2 billion amid a surge in commodity prices. Saudi Arabian…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Aramco Discovers Some New Natural Gas Fields

Saudi Aramco Discovers Some New Natural Gas Fields

Saudi Aramco has discovered several new natural gas fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday, citing Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Ukrainian Oil, Gas Infrastructure Burns as West Tightens Sanctions

Ukrainian Oil, Gas Infrastructure Burns as West Tightens Sanctions

Huge explosions from Russian attacks on oil and gas installations lit up the night sky in Ukraine early on Sunday, while Western allies tightened sanctions to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Confirms Abundance of Basic Commodities

Saudi Arabia Confirms Abundance of Basic Commodities

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Chairman of the Food Security Committee, Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen AlFadley, confirmed that the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia: Real Estate Assets Evaluated at $26.6 Billion

Saudi Arabia: Real Estate Assets Evaluated at $26.6 Billion

Secretary-General of Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers (Taqeem) Faisal Almandeel said the real estate sector’s activities registered an expansion, which…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Middle Eastern Countries on Brink of Wheat Crisis

Middle Eastern Countries on Brink of Wheat Crisis

Since the eruption of the Russian-Ukrainian tensions, fears have emerged that the global wheat and grain markets will be severely affected, given that the two…

Business S&P Cuts Russia's Rating to Junk, Moody's Issues Junk Warning

S&P Cuts Russia's Rating to Junk, Moody's Issues Junk Warning

Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a flurry of credit rating moves on Friday, with S&P lowering Russia's rating to 'junk' status, Moody's putting it on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt, South Korea to Cooperate in Transportation, Railway Sectors

Egypt, South Korea to Cooperate in Transportation, Railway Sectors

Egypt discussed with South Korea on Friday ways of supporting and developing joint cooperation in the fields of railways, metro and sea transport. They also…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Fitch Downgrades Ukraine Debt over Crisis, Moody's Issues Warning

Fitch Downgrades Ukraine Debt over Crisis, Moody's Issues Warning

Fitch on Friday cut the rating on Ukraine's government debt to "CCC" from "B" following the Russian invasion of the country, which it said creates a "severe…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Ukraine Requests 'Emergency Financing' from IMF

Ukraine Requests 'Emergency Financing' from IMF

Ukraine has requested additional aid from the IMF following the Russian invasion, the fund's leader Kristalina Georgieva said Friday. The crisis lender has…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Leads Middle East Countries in Digital Services

Saudi Arabia Leads Middle East Countries in Digital Services

Saudi Arabia ranked first in the field of digital services availability and development, according to the Government Electronic and Mobile Services (GEMS)…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)