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IMF Staff Country Reports-Arab Republic of Egypt: Selected Issues
January 23, 2018--UNLOCKING HIGHER AND MORE INCLUSIVE GROWTH1
Like some other emerging market economies, Egypt faces the challenge of raising growth and creating
more jobs to improve the living standards of its young and growing population. The analysis in this
paper shows that past growth was characterized by a suboptimal allocation of the factors of production
and a lack of dynamism in the private sector.
By identifying the main constraints to private sector-led growth and higher employment generation, it suggests policies to further shift Egypt's economic model towards increased private sector participation and integration into global value chains. To this end,
reforms should aim at removing the distortions to the optimal allocation of resources in the economy
and equip the labor force with the skills needed to benefit fully from future job opportunities. These
reforms would also help better integrate women and youth into the job market. The authorities have embarked on a reform program to address these challenges and important steps have already been
taken. Improved macro-stability and a strong political commitment to reforms present an opportunity to
further structural reforms that intensify private sector-led growth and job creation and strengthen trade
integration.
view the IMF Staff Country Reports-Arab Republic of Egypt: Selected Issues
ETFGI reports that assets invested in ETFs/ETPs listed in Middle East and Africa increased by 14% to reach a new high of 40 billion US dollars at the end of December 2017
January 22, 2018--ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm on trends in the global ETF/ETP ecosystem, reported today that assets invested in ETFs and ETPs listed in Middle East and Africa increased by 14.4% during 2017 to reach US$39.90 Bn at the end of December. (All dollar values in USD unless otherwise noted.)
Assets invested in ETFs/ETPs listed in Middle East and Africa increased by $5.03 billion during the year, to reach $39.90 billion.
Year-to-date, through end of December 2017, ETFs and ETPs listed in Middle East and Africa saw net outflows of $2.02 Bn.
MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf moves sideways, Qatar's Widam jumps on dividend
January 18, 2018--Gulf stock markets mostly moved sideways in early trade on Thursday, with Qatari food processor and livestock trader Widam Food one of the few big movers as it soared after raising its annual dividend.
Qatar's stock index edged down 0.1 percent but Widam jumped 9.1 percent in its heaviest trade for months.
Oil markets near three-year highs, supported by healthy demand
January 16, 2018-- Brent crude prices were on Tuesday settling in around $70 per barrel, levels last seen before the start of an oil market slump in late 2014.
Prices have been driven up by production curbs in OPEC nations and Russia, as well as by robust demand on the back of healthy global economic growth.
Egypt's stockmarket outperforms Gulf neighbors in 2017
January 15, 2017--Egypt's equities market performed better than peers in neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in 2017.
Cairo's main index increased in value by 21.66 percent during 2017, as a continuous drop in inflation, positive comments from the Central Bank and an ongoing programme of economic reforms boosted investor sentiment, especially in the second half of the year.
New cryptocurrencies' exchange platform launches in Dubai
January 15, 2018--Palmex has been founded by a Saudi entrepreneur based in Dubai.
A Dubai-based blockchain startup announced on Monday the launch of a new digital portal for cryptocurrencies trading, its CEO said.
Arabian Chain is a Dubai-based startup founded in February last year by a group of Saudi entrepreneurs including its founder and CEO Mohammed Alsehli, 30.
Oil adds to rally, heads for fourth week of gains
January 13, 2018--Oil prices rose for a sixth day on Friday after Russia's oil minister said that global crude supplies were "not balanced yet," alleviating market concerns about a wind-down of the OPEC-led deal to reduce production.
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MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf markets flat to lower early on; many Saudi petchems lose steam
January 11, 2018--Gulf stock markets were flat to lower in early trade on Thursday as many Saudi petrochemical shares lost steam after rising earlier this week as oil prices hit 2 1/2-year highs.
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Tadawul Announces Significant Market Enhancements
January 10, 2018--Far-ranging measures aim to raise market efficiency, boost investor access, security and improve liquidity in the Saudi capital markets
Latest round of market enhancements build on ground-breaking reforms implemented by the Saudi Stock Exchange in 2017.
Tadawul, the Saudi Stock Exchange, today announced a series of significant measures to improve market access and efficiency, enhance liquidity, bolster investor security, mitigate risk and further align market practices with global best practices. Newly announced measures include:
World Bank-Global Economic Prospects 2018: Middle East & North Africa
January 9, 2018--Recent developments: Growth in the Middle East and North Africa is estimated to have slowed sharply to 1.8 percent in 2017 from 5 percent the year before. The slowdown in growth among oil exporters, driven by oil production cuts and continued geopolitical tensions, has more than offset a pickup among oil-importing economies. Fiscal adjustments also held back growth among both oil-importing and oil-exporting economies in the region.
Growth among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) slowed, reflecting lower oil output. Growth in Saudi Arabia fell to 0.3 percent in 2017 from 1.7 last year amid oil production cuts and fiscal consolidation, and the United Arab Emirates eased to 1.4 percent. The diplomatic rift between Qatar and neighboring economies is estimated to have weighed somewhat on Qatar's economy, but the impact on neighboring economies has been limited. After an exceptionaly high growth rate in 2016 due to lifting of sanctions, growth in the Islamic Republic of Iran moderated in 2017, contributing sizably to the moderation in regional growth.
