Kuwait: Increasing Coverage
(Oxford Business Group - 19/11/2009)
Kuwaits insurers have good reasons to look forward to 2010, with signs that the countrys economy is gradually returning to form.
Like many other sectors of the economy, the insurance industry has been affected by the international financial c...
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Gulf currency union still ‘a far cry’
(K S Sreekumar - Trade Arabia - 19/11/2009)
The self-imposed 2010 deadline for the GCC monetary union will pass with the Gulf standing far short of the goals it envisioned at the start of the decade, said Simon Williams, HSBC chief economist, Gulf markets.
“No change in currency regimes...
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Qatar issue is hot ticket in market
(Wayne Arnold - The National - 18/11/2009)
Qatar capitalised on surging demand among global investors for places to park declining US dollars to sell US$7 billion (Dh25.71bn) in bonds, in what analysts say was the biggest ever bond sale from the Gulf.
Qatar’s bonds are divided into thr...
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Gulf is choked by fuel subsidies
(Tamsin Carlisle - The National - 18/11/2009)
Gulf oil producers must lower fuel subsidies if they are to achieve long-term economic stability through industrial diversification, experts say.
Setting fuel prices at levels that stimulate investment in energy development while discouraging ...
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Banks need their own ‘risk champions’
(Tom Arnold - The National - 18/11/2009)
Gulf banks need to reform their management structures to reduce their susceptibility to future financial crises, industry experts say.
Financial institutions have been urged to appoint specially trained “risk champions” to flag potential risks...
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Islamic banks outdo conventional rivals in the UAE
(Abdel Hai Mohamad - Business 24|7 - 18/11/2009)
Islamic banks in the UAE are outperforming their conventional rivals in terms of profitability, liquidity and earnings per share, according to a new report.
And the study said the Shariah-compliant banks have not been seriously affected by the...
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More optimism in Qatar
(CPIFINANCIAL - 17/11/2009)
Majority of businesses expect borrowing conditions to improve in Q4. However, business community continues to be concerned about cost of raw materials, with 41 per cent of the respondents citing it as the key challenge for Q4.
Dun & Bradstre...
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Sharjah’s small companies set fair for recovery
(Financial Times - 17/11/2009)
The emirate plans to develop further its vibrant private sector and solve its power shortages, writes Robin Wigglesworth.
The palatial new offices of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) set out to showcase examples of the in...
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Saudi oil is put to use at home as exports decline
(Tamsin Carlisle - The National - 17/11/2009)
Saudi Arabia is consuming more of its main national product. The trend in the kingdom was noted this month by the International Energy Agency, which called the 16.4 per cent increase in domestic crude oil demand in August from the same month last year “a...
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The sukuk renaissance is underway
(Arsalaan Ahmad Siddiqi - Gulf Times - 17/11/2009)
Two years ago analysts predicted the sukuk market would hit the $50bn plus mark. But optimistic forecasts for the still nascent Islamic bonds industry were prematurely nipped in the bud. A statement by the Accounting & Auditing Organisation for Islamic F...
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