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 A gold bar inside a jewelry shop in the Gold Market on Al-Moez Street in Old Cairo (Reuters)

Gold Set for Weekly Loss as Oil-driven Inflation Fears Boost Rate-hike Bets

Gold edged lower on Friday and was headed for a second consecutive weekly drop, as elevated oil prices fueled fears of inflation and boosted expectations of a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A man shows grain in his wheat product on this family's land in Tulia, Texas, US, May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Annie Rice

Supply Minister: Egypt Plans Global Grain Hub

Egypt, the biggest buyer of Russian wheat, aims to create a global grain trading and storage hub, Supply Minister Sherif Farouk said on Friday, speaking at a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A farmer works in his wheat field in the Sebt Meghchouch region of Morocco, on April 28, 2026. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)

Morocco's Inflation Rate Rises to 1.7% in April

Morocco's annual inflation rate, measured by the consumer price index, rose to 1.7% in April from 0.9% a month earlier, the statistics agency said on Friday. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: An out of use sign hangs from a nozzle of an unleaded petrol pump on the forecourt of an Asda petrol station in Bethnal Green, London, Britain, March 27, 2026 REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo

UK Retail Sales Drop by Most in Nearly a Year as Drivers Buy Less Fuel

British retail sales fell by the most in nearly a year in April as fuel sales plummeted, according to official figures published on Friday that added to signs…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Naval vessels at Yanbu port on the Red Sea (SPA) 

Saudi Oil Pipeline Boosts Exports 37.4%, Trade Surplus Hits Highest Since 2022

Saudi Arabia’s merchandise trade surplus surged to its highest level since 2022 in March, driven by strong momentum in oil exports, which rose 37.4%, while the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) (Middle East) 

Ashmore: Institutional Liquidity is Reshaping Saudi Market

Saudi Arabia’s financial market is undergoing a structural shift as short-term speculative trading gives way to institutional investment through funds, managed…

Zeinab Ali (Riyadh)
Business Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a children’s activity center in Essex, Britain, Thursday, May 21, 2026. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS

UK Offers Cheaper Chocolate, Tickets to the Zoo to Ease Cost of Living Squeeze

The British government is offering cheaper chocolate and discounted entry to theme parks as it seeks to ease a cost-of-living squeeze and win back voters. …

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business A fuel storage facility at Russia's main oil export hub in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk (Reuters)

Oil Gains, Stocks Slip on Uncertain Mideast Peace Prospects

Oil prices jumped while stock markets mostly retreated and the dollar firmed Thursday as hopes of a Middle East peace accord faded on conflicting headlines on…

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

flynas Says Direct Flights Between Riyadh, Milan Start Thursday

flynas has announced the launch of direct flights connecting Riyadh with Milan, SPA reported. Starting Thursday, the airline will operate three weekly direct…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk walks to attend the trial in his lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse, in Oakland, California, US, April 29, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo/File Photo

SpaceX Reveals Plans for What Could be Biggest-ever Initial Public Offering

Elon Musk announced plans Wednesday for one of the biggest stock sales ever by taking public a space company that is currently losing billions of dollars a…

Asharq Al Awsat (New York)
Business Gold bracelets displayed at a jewelry store in Varanasi, India (AFP)

Gold Eases on Higher Yields, Firm Dollar; US-Iran Talks in Focus

Gold edged lower on Thursday as higher Treasury yields and a firm dollar weighed on the metal, while hopes of a resolution to the US-Iran conflict limited…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business An employee of the General Authority for Transport inspects postal parcel warehouses (SPA). 

Saudi Arabia Requires Shipping Companies to Let Consumers Inspect Packages Before Accepting Delivery

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce issued an official directive requiring all private-sector shipping and delivery companies to allow consumers to open…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business From the signing ceremony of the joint statement concluding the free trade agreement negotiations (GCC)

GCC, Britain Announce Historic Trade Deal

The Gulf Cooperation Council and Britain have announced a trade deal worth $5 billion a year in the long run, deepening economic ties between the two sides and…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business The rollout marks the latest step in Airbnb's push to capture more of the travel spending that currently flows to competitors like Booking.com and Expedia. SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Airbnb Expands into Hotels, Cars, Groceries

Airbnb, facing tighter local regulations on short-term home rentals, announced Wednesday it is adding boutique hotels, car rentals and grocery delivery to its…

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

Saudi Arabia Leads Efforts to Stabilize Global Energy Supplies amid Warnings of Prolonged Conflict

Saudi Arabia is spearheading international efforts to stabilize global oil markets and contain the fallout from a supply crisis triggered by the Iran war and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. (SPA)

Foreign Investors Consolidate their Bets on Saudi Arabia as Economic Reforms Gather Pace

Saudi Arabia is no longer just an oil-price bet for global investors. It is becoming a core emerging-market play. That is the view of Emmanuel Laurina, head of…

Zeinab Ali (Riyadh)
Business FILED - 11 January 2012, China, Hong Kong: FILE PHOTO - A general view of the facade of Standard Chartered Bank branch in Hong Kong. Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa

Standard Chartered CEO Seeks to Reassure Staff over AI-linked Job Cuts

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters sought to assuage staff concerns on Wednesday, a day after saying that the bank will cut thousands of jobs over the next…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business A seized suspected Russian oil taker by the French navy is photographed in the Mediterranean Sea in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France, on Jan. 26, 2026. (AP)

Ukraine Ally Britain Eases Sanctions on Russian Oil as Fuel Prices Surge Over Iran Conflict

The UK government has quietly watered down sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to shelter Britons from the cost-of-living squeeze triggered by the closure of…

Business 3D-printed oil pump jacks and the QatarEnergy logo appear in this illustration taken March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

QatarEnergy Buys Stakes in Uruguay Offshore Blocks from Shell Subsidiary

QatarEnergy has acquired interests in three offshore exploration blocks in Uruguay from a subsidiary of Shell, marking its first entry into the South American…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  A man counts US dollar currency notes at a foreign exchange office in Hyderabad on May 16, 2026. (AFP)

Dollar Steady Near Six-Week Highs on Rate-Hike Bets, War Uncertainty

The US dollar was steady near a six-week high on Wednesday as investors come to terms with the possible need for higher interest rates to tackle inflation due…

Business Signage is displayed above The Boeing Company booth at Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week at the Tampa Convention Center on May 19, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Getty Images/AFP)

China Says It Will Buy 200 Boeing Jets, Seek Extension of US Trade Truce

China on Wednesday said it will buy 200 Boeing jets and seek an extension of a trade truce struck with the US that is set to expire this November. The…

Business Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves arrives at Downing Street in London , Britain, 13 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL

UK Inflation Slows to 2.8% in April

British consumer price inflation slowed to 2.8% in April from 3.3% in March, according to official figures published on Wednesday. Economists polled by…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Union Calls Strike at South Korea Chip Giant Samsung Electronics

Union Calls Strike at South Korea Chip Giant Samsung Electronics

A planned strike at South Korean chip giant Samsung Electronics will go ahead from Thursday, its union said, after talks on bonus payouts collapsed, raising…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A Riyadh Air aircraft flies over the Saudi capital, Riyadh (Public Investment Fund)

Boeing Dreamliner to Fly Riyadh Air's First Passengers in July

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, is moving onto the global aviation stage through London, with an…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)