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eBay Teams up with Dubai Venture to Sell Products in Middle East

An eBay sign is seen at an office building in San Jose, California, US. (Reuters)
An eBay sign is seen at an office building in San Jose, California, US. (Reuters)
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eBay Teams up with Dubai Venture to Sell Products in Middle East

An eBay sign is seen at an office building in San Jose, California, US. (Reuters)
An eBay sign is seen at an office building in San Jose, California, US. (Reuters)

eBay has agreed to list popular from the United States and elsewhere on noon.com, a relatively new Middle Eastern e-commerce venture, founded by a Dubai billionaire

The products will be available on noon.com and its mobile app for online shoppers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), noon said in a statement.

“Our partnership with eBay opens a whole new world of shopping experience,” said noon founder Mohammed Alabbar.

The two companies will also explore joint marketing opportunities and consider sharing their know-how and best practices with each other, the statement said.

Other details of the partnership were not disclosed and a noon spokeswoman declined to comment when asked about possible financial terms. The spokeswoman said that eBay was not acquiring a stake in noon under the agreement.

Noon.com said customers can make select eBay orders on Noon's website starting from the second half of 2018 and access products that are not otherwise readily available in the region.

Noon, which started operations in 2017, was launched by Alabbar with the financial backing of the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and other Gulf investors.

Alabbar, a prominent Emirati businessman, is the chairman of Emaar Properties, the Dubai builder of the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa.

E-commerce in the Middle East is potentially highly lucrative, in part because of the region’s young and tech-savvy population. However, inadequate logistics and electronic payment methods have hampered it from gaining a significant foothold.

Amazon.com bought Middle Eastern online retailer Souq.com in March 2017, beating a bid by the retail unit of Alabbar’s Emaar.

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Business

Musk Says SpaceX Could Bring $1 Trillion in Revenue by 2030

Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Musk Says SpaceX Could Bring $1 Trillion in Revenue by 2030

Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Elon ‌Musk said on Sunday that his rocket company, SpaceX, could bring in $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, making the statement two days after the company went public, valuing it at over $2 trillion.

"And I would be surprised if revenue ‌is not greater ‌than $1T in 2031," he ‌wrote ⁠on his social ⁠media platform X, replying to journalist and financial commentator Jon Erlichman.

SpaceX on Friday became the sixth-largest US firm, cementing Musk's status as the ⁠world's first trillionaire.

However, the ‌company ‌still makes far less money than similarly ‌valued tech giants like ‌Broadcom and Amazon.com.

In 2025, SpaceX's revenue jumped to $18.67 billion from $14.02 billion a year earlier, but the ‌company swung to a net loss of $4.94 billion from ⁠a ⁠profit of $791 million.

Some Wall Street analysts are cautious about the company's growth.

Goldman had estimated that SpaceX's revenue would exceed $470 billion in 2030, while Morgan Stanley projected it would reach nearly $330 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal report from earlier this month.

Business

Fitch Affirms China's Credit Rating at 'A'

A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Fitch Affirms China's Credit Rating at 'A'

A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)

Global ratings agency Fitch on Monday affirmed China's long-term sovereign rating at "A" with a stable outlook, citing its large and diversified ‌economy, which supports ‌prospects for solid ‌GDP ⁠growth and the ⁠country's important role in global trade.

China, which faced high US tariff uncertainty last year, should see some relaxation after US President ⁠Donald Trump's visit, Fitch said, ‌even ‌as it warned of weak ‌household confidence weighing on goods ‌consumption.

Data from last month showed China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index dropping to 50 from ‌50.3 in April, its lowest reading in three months ⁠as ⁠demand weakened. A level below 50 typically signals contraction.

"The energy price shock may pose a challenge, but large crude oil inventories, substantial refining capacity and diversified energy sources should cushion risks," the ratings agency said.

Business

Saudi Arabia's Inflation Edges Up to 1.8% in May

People shopping in a market in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
People shopping in a market in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia's Inflation Edges Up to 1.8% in May

People shopping in a market in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
People shopping in a market in Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.8% year-on-year in May 2026, compared with the same month a year earlier, according to official data released on Sunday.

The General Authority for Statistics said the annual increase was driven mainly by a 3.7% rise in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels costs, supported by a 4.7% increase in actual housing rents.

Higher prices in several other categories also contributed to the increase. Restaurant and hotel prices rose 1.7%, while transport costs increased 1.5%.

Prices in the personal care and miscellaneous goods and services category climbed 5.6%, largely due to a 20.0% jump in jewelry and watches prices.

The overall rise in inflation was partly offset by a 0.5% annual decline in furniture and household equipment prices, the statistics authority said.

Slight Monthly Price Changes

On a monthly basis, Saudi Arabia’s consumer price index edged up 0.2% in May from April. The increase was driven primarily by a 0.6% rise in transport prices, largely due to a 1.9% increase in passenger transport services.

Food and beverage prices rose 0.1% month-on-month, while housing and water costs increased 0.2%.

Meanwhile, prices in the personal care and miscellaneous goods and services category fell 0.2%, as did furniture and household equipment prices. Clothing and footwear prices also declined 0.1% from the previous month.

Housing and Transport Lead Inflation Drivers

The housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels remained the largest contributor to annual inflation in May, accounting for 0.7 percentage points.

The personal care and miscellaneous goods and services category was the second-largest contributor, adding 0.3 percentage points to the annual inflation rate.

Transport and food and beverages each contributed 0.2 percentage points, while the remaining 0.3 percentage points came from other components of the consumer basket, according to the authority.