Bahrain Records Improvement in Economic Sector Indicators

Bahrain’s capital Manama (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bahrain’s capital Manama (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Bahrain Records Improvement in Economic Sector Indicators

Bahrain’s capital Manama (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bahrain’s capital Manama (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bahrain’s Ministry of Finance and National Economy has announced continued improvement in the financial and economic indicators of various economic sectors during Q1 2022, exceeding the pre-pandemic 2019 benchmarks.

This improvement comes in line with the Kingdom’s launching of its economic recovery plan, which includes initiatives and strategies targeting several promising sectors to serve citizens.

In the tourism and hospitality sector, the average occupancy rate in four and five-stars hotels was 55%, while the number of mall visitors increased by 26.9% compared with the same quarter in 2021.

Another sign of the turnaround is the 35.4% increase in new commercial licenses in 2022 and so did the value of sales using Bahrain ATM cards, which increased by 4.2%.

Remarkable growth was achieved in February in the financial services sector as Fawri+ transactions grew by 55.1% and Fawri transactions increased by 22.1%.

In terms of international trade, the total value of exports amounted to 64.7%, and the total fuel sales increased by 12.2%.

Similarly, total non-bank deposits grew by 12.7% and the Bahrain Bourse index witnessed a 33.3% increase.

In the real estate sector, transactions registered with the Survey and Land Registration Bureau increased by 19.6%, while the number of building permits increased by 15.8%.



Oil Falls from Highest since October as Dollar Strengthens

People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP
People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP
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Oil Falls from Highest since October as Dollar Strengthens

People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP
People stand on the the pier with offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the distance on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP

Oil prices dipped on Monday amid a strong US dollar ahead of key economic data by the US Federal Reserve and US payrolls later in the week.
Brent crude futures slid 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $76.23 a barrel by 0800 GMT after settling on Friday at its highest since Oct. 14.
US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 27 cents, or 0.4%, at $73.69 a barrel after closing on Friday at its highest since Oct. 11, Reuters reported.
Oil posted five-session gains previously with hopes of rising demand following colder weather in the Northern Hemisphere and more fiscal stimulus by China to revitalize its faltering economy.
However, the strength of the dollar is on investor's radar, Priyanka Sachdeva, a senior market analyst at Phillip Nova, wrote in a report on Monday.
The dollar stayed close to a two-year peak on Monday. A stronger dollar makes it more expensive to buy the greenback-priced commodity.
Investors are also awaiting economic news for more clues on the Federal Reserve's rate outlook and energy consumption.
Minutes of the Fed's last meeting are due on Wednesday and the December payrolls report will come on Friday.
There are some future concerns about Iranian and Russian oil shipments as the potential for stronger sanctions on both producers looms.
The Biden administration plans to impose more sanctions on Russia over its war on Ukraine, taking aim at its oil revenues with action against tankers carrying Russian crude, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday.
Goldman Sachs expects Iran's production and exports to fall by the second quarter as a result of expected policy changes and tighter sanctions from the administration of incoming US President Donald Trump.
Output at the OPEC producer could drop by 300,000 barrels per day to 3.25 million bpd by second quarter, they said.
The US oil rig count, an indicator of future output, fell by one to 482 last week, a weekly report from energy services firm Baker Hughes showed on Friday.
Still, the global oil market is clouded by a supply surplus this year as a rise in non-OPEC supplies is projected by analysts to largely offset global demand increase, also with the possibility of more production in the US under Trump.