THE EDGE INSIGHTS
Latest Economic Insights
Economic developments that matter to regional and global markets, analysed daily.
How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Wealth Management, Pushing the Mid Tier Toward Automation
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the economics of wealth management. As digital tools become more capable, firms are increasingly using automation to serve…
Read more →
Banks Cut Gold Forecasts as Hawkish Fed Pressure Builds, While Central Bank Buying Remains the Key Support
A growing number of global banks are cutting their gold price forecasts for the rest of 2026, as a more hawkish US…
Read more →
Commodities Wrap: Gold Falls Toward US$4,130 as Oil and Base Metals Retreat
Gold and oil fell together on Tuesday, with the precious metal sliding toward US$4,130 an ounce as a firmer dollar and a…
Read more →
Bank of America Sees a US$6,000 Gold Target Unlikely For Now as a Hawkish Fed and Firmer Dollar Weigh
Bank of America has tempered its near term gold outlook, saying its US$6,000 an ounce target now looks unlikely for now as…
Read more →
China Narrows Its Budget Deficit for the First Time Since 2023 as Beijing Holds Back Stimulus
China's combined fiscal deficit narrowed for the first time in more than two years, pointing to a more restrained policy stance even…
Read more →
A Potential Super El Niño Could Reprice Markets Across Food, Energy, Metals and Insurance
A rising probability of a very strong El Niño is pushing investors to reassess exposure across sectors from agriculture to insurance, as…
Read more →Commodities Wrap: Oil Jumps at the New-Week Open as Hormuz Tension Returns, While Gold Slips Below US$4,200
Oil opened the new trading week sharply higher as renewed tension around the Strait of Hormuz and conflicting signals over the US…
Read more →
US Dollar Outlook 2026: Higher for Longer Rates Keep the Dollar Supported, But Upside Is Becoming More Selective
The US dollar enters the second half of 2026 with a firmer tone, supported by sticky inflation, a restrictive Fed, resilient jobs,…
Read more →
Bloomberg: Prince Alwaleed’s Fortune Climbs About US$10 Billion in 2026 as the SpaceX Bet Pays Off
The fortune of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has climbed to a decade high of just over US$27 billion, according to…
Read more →
Visible From Space: Gulf Producers Begin Unwinding the Biggest Oil-Output Cut in History as Hormuz Reopens
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has set in motion an industrial event of extraordinary scale: Gulf producers are restarting thousands…
Read more →Commodities Wrap: Gold Slides Below US$4,200 as a Hawkish Fed Overpowers a Modest Oil Rebound
Commodity markets ended the week split. Gold dropped below US$4,200 an ounce on Friday — wiping out the week’s earlier gains —…
Read more →
Gold Outlook 2026: Base Case Points to US$4,800–5,100 as June Forecasts Show Wider Upside Risk
Gold’s 2026 outlook has become more divided after a series of June updates from major banks and market institutions. While the wider…
Read more →
UK Labour Market Cools as Job Vacancies Hit a Five-Year Low and Pay Growth Slows
Britain's labour market showed fresh signs of cooling in the latest official data, with the unemployment rate edging up over the year,…
Read more →Oil Holds Near US$80 as Gold and Silver Slide on Softer Haven Demand and Firmer Rate Expectations
Commodity markets split in two directions on Thursday, with crude oil holding near the US$80 level even as gold and silver extended…
Read more →
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% in 7–2 Vote as Two Members Push for a Hike
The Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at 3.75% on 18 June 2026, but a split vote and a…
Read more →Commodities Slide as US–Iran Deal Deflates War Premium; Oil and Precious Metals Lead Losses
A broad retreat swept across the commodities complex this week as a US–Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drained the…
Read more →
Three GCC Central Banks Hold Interest Rates After US Federal Reserve Decision
Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE keep interest rates steady after the US Federal Reserve holds rates, while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman…
Read more →
Warsh Overhauls Fed Communications and Withholds His Own Forecast as Projections Hint at a 2026 Rate Hike
In his first appearance as Federal Reserve Chair, Kevin Warsh used the June policy meeting not only to hold interest rates steady…
Read more →
Bank of Japan Raises Rate to 1%, Its Highest Since 1995, and Signals More to Come
The Bank of Japan raised its policy interest rate to around 1.0% from 0.75% on 16 June 2026, lifting borrowing costs to…
Read more →
US Retail Sales Jump 0.9% in May, Pointing to a Resilient American Consumer
US retail sales rose more strongly than expected in May 2026, signalling that American consumer demand remained resilient despite elevated inflation and…
Read more →
Fed Holds Rates at 3.50%–3.75% in Warsh’s First Meeting, Vowing to “Deliver Price Stability”
The US Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75% on 17 June 2026, holding policy steady in…
Read more →
US–Iran Deal Could Help Egypt Recover Suez Canal Revenues, But US$10 Billion Will Not Return Overnight
A reported interim agreement between Washington and Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could improve sentiment toward regional maritime routes, but…
Read more →
Dubai Real Estate Enters a More Selective Phase as Regional Risk Tests Demand
Dubai’s residential property market is no longer moving with the same broad momentum that defined the previous boom. The latest data points…
Read more →
The New Oil: Efforts to Turn AI Computing Power into a Tradable Commodity
Artificial intelligence is turning computing capacity into one of the most important inputs in the global digital economy. As demand for training…
Read more →Most Read
- Asia Market Wrap 7 October: All Eight Indices Fall as Seoul Drops 1.98 Percent
- The Week Ahead: The Federal Reserve Decides on 29 July, US Growth and Inflation Data Land, and the Megacap Technology Earnings Peak
- Asia Market Wrap 8 October: All Ten Indices Fall as Singapore Drops 3.49 Percent
- Asia Market Wrap 6 October: Nikkei Posts First Close Above 70,000 Since July as Kospi Falls
- Europe Market Wrap 9 October: All Nine Indices Rise as Basic Resources Jump 2.99 Percent