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 Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins delivers the opening keynote before tens of thousands of attendees. (Cisco)

Cisco Says Networks Are Core to AI, Saudi Arabia Faces Readiness Test

Cisco used its annual Cisco Live 2026 event to present artificial intelligence as a new test for infrastructure, not merely a software wave or a move toward…

Nassim Ramadan (Las Vegas)
Business FILE PHOTO: Saudi Aramco logo and stock graph are seen through a magnifier displayed in this illustration taken September 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Saudi Aramco: Oil Refining Has Been Underinvested

The current oil supply crisis shows there is underinvestment in oil refining as demand holds resilient, Saudi state-owned Aramco's vice president of market…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business A drone view of vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)

OECD Cuts 2026 Global Growth Forecasts Over Mideast War Fallout

The war in the Middle East has dented economic growth prospects worldwide, with a more severe shock likely if no effective ceasefire is agreed before 2027, the…

Business The Saudi capital, Riyadh (Reuters)

Saudi Non-oil Private Sector Activity Hits 3-month High in May

Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector expanded at the fastest pace in three months in May as domestic demand improved and supply chains stabilized, while…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The sun sets over a vessel off the coast of Dubai on June 2, 2026. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Regional War Weighs on Output, New Business Growth in UAE

The UAE's non-oil private sector expanded only modestly in May as war in the region and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz weighed on output and new…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. (Reuters)

Gold Eases as Middle East Tensions Lift Oil, US Economic Data in Focus

Gold prices slipped on Wednesday, as renewed hostilities in the Middle East pushed crude higher and stalled US-Iran talks, while investors awaited upcoming U.S…

Business Muslims attend an Eid al-Adha prayer at El-Seddik Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, May 27, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt’s Private Sector Slump Deepens as Cost Pressures Hit Three-Year High

Egypt's non-oil private ‌sector remained mired in contraction in May, as a fresh surge in input costs squeezed demand, forced businesses into aggressive…

Business People shop in a bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 01 June 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran’s Central Bank Says Inflation at WWII Levels

Year-on-year inflation in Iran reached a level in May unseen since World War II, underlining the economic pain average Iranians face as the country worries…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business  A National Housing Company project in Jeddah (Company handout)

Gov’t Action Cools Saudi Property Prices, Inflation Turns Negative

Saudi Arabia’s real estate market is showing clear signs that inflationary pressures are easing, after a package of government measures aimed at increasing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a plenary session of last year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. (Reuters)

Kremlin: Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at St. Petersburg Economic Forum

The Kremlin said Saudi Arabia will be featured as the “guest of honor” at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, SPIEF, in 2026, which opens…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow)
Business Raindrops hang on a sign for Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan in New York City, New York, US, October 26, 2020. (Reuters)

Is the $1.8 Trillion Private Credit Market Headed for a ‘Credit Winter’?

Could private credit become the next global financial crisis? The question is gaining urgency across financial and regulatory circles after years of explosive…

Abeer Hommadi (Riyadh)
Business Members of a family gather to visit a patient at a Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib hospital in Saudi Arabia (website) 

Saudi Healthcare Firms Post $305 Million in Q1 Profit

Saudi Arabia’s listed healthcare companies reported combined net profits of SAR1.148 billion ($305.9 million) in the first quarter of 2026, as aggressive…

Mohammed al-Mutairi (Riyadh)
Business US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Trump Administration Proposes 25% Tariff to Punish Brazil Over Trade Practices

The Trump administration has proposed a new punitive tariff of 25% on many imports from Brazil, after deciding its practices were unfair on a range of issues…

Business An oil rig operating in an oil field in the Permian Basin, Texas, USA (Reuters)

Oil Slips after Trump Says Talks with Iran are Ongoing

Oil prices trended lower on Tuesday following the previous session's sharp gains as the market remained cautious about progress in US-Iran peace talks. US…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Gulf leaders in a group photo during the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait in 2024 (SPA).

Report: Multi-Level Partnerships a Safeguard for Gulf Security

A recent analytical report says Gulf states are well positioned to play a larger role in shaping the regional security architecture in the aftermath of the war…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Business Gold bracelets on display for sale at a gold shop in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (AFP)

Gold Falls as Renewed Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Fears

Gold prices fell on Monday as renewed US-Iran tensions pushed the dollar and oil prices higher, fuelling fears of inflation and reinforcing the higher-for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudia Airlines will fly in pilgrims from across the globe. (SPA)

Saudia to Expand Its Fleet with Delivery of 12 New Aircraft in 2026

Saudia Airlines has finalized a deal with Airbus to receive 12 new aircraft in 2026 as part of its ongoing fleet expansion and modernization program. By…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  France's President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint statement with Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, June 1, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

Macron Announces 93 Bn Euros in ‘Choose France’ Investments

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he was expecting foreign investments amounting to 93 billion euros ($108 billion) at a conference dubbed "Choose…

Business The Saudi capital (SPA) 

Saudi Fund for Development Moves to Globalize Private Sector, Expand Local Content Abroad

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) is intensifying strategic efforts to integrate Saudi private-sector companies into major international development…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Supporters wave Turkish national flags as the leader of Republican People's Party (CHP) delivers a speech during a protest against allegations of vote buying at the CHP congress in November 2023, at their party headquarters in Ankara on May 22, 2026. (AFP)

Turkish Economy Expands 2.5% in Q1, Pace of Growth Slows Further

Türkiye's economy grew 2.5% year-on-year in the first quarter, slightly below poll forecasts according to official data on Monday, with growth slowing for a…

Business  A monument featuring a stylized molecular structure stands outside the office building of China Northern Rare Earth Group, with the Chinese characters “Build a world-class” inscribed on its base, in the country’s industry hub city Baotou, China, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)

A Bachelor’s in Rare Earths? In China, There Are Schools for That

Every year, several hundred young adults head to the steppes of northern China to learn about rare earths at schools like the Inner Mongolia University of…

Business Lights illuminate an oil refinery in Carson, Calif., May 29, 2024. (AP)

Oil Rises as US and Iran Trade Strikes, Israel Moves Further into Lebanon

Oil prices rose more than 2% on Monday after Iran and the US traded strikes and Israel ordered troops to move further into Lebanon in the battle with the…

Business SpaceX logo and Elon Musk photo are seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. (Reuters)

Kingdom Holding’s Share Jumps 10% After Revealing Billions Stake in SpaceX

Shares of Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding on Sunday surged by 10% to 13.58 Saudi riyals, hitting their highest closing price in a decade. The trading volume…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The logo of SoftBank is displayed at a company shop in Tokyo, Japan January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

SoftBank Pledges $81 Billion to Build Biggest AI Facility in France

Japan's SoftBank Group has pledged to invest up to €75 billion ($81 billion) in a vast network of AI computing clusters in France, backing what would be Europe…

Asharq Al Awsat (Paris)