THE EDGE INSIGHTS
Latest Economic Insights
Economic developments that matter to regional and global markets, analysed daily.
Kuwait Electronic Payments Reach KD 27.9 Billion as Instant Transfers Jump 52 Percent
Central Bank of Kuwait data show electronic payments of KD 27.9 billion in the first half of 2026, with instant transfers up…
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Saudi GDP Contracts 4.8 Percent as Oil Activities Fall 24.7 Percent
Saudi real GDP contracted 4.8 percent year on year in the second quarter as oil activities fell 24.7 percent, while non-oil activities…
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IMF External Sector Report 2026: Imbalances Widen as Oil Exporter Surpluses Shrink
The IMF reports global current account balances widened in 2025, with oil exporter surpluses shrinking and excessive imbalances accounting for a larger…
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Euro Area Unemployment Holds at 6.3 Percent in June 2026
The euro-area unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.3 percent in June and the EU rate at 6.0 percent, with the euro-area count…
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US GDP Slows to 1.5 Percent as Private Demand Accelerates
Real GDP grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter, down from 2.1 percent, while real final sales to private domestic purchasers rose…
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Market Wrap US-Europe 30 July: Microsoft Leads a 2.8 Percent Nasdaq Rebound
US stocks rebounded sharply on Thursday, led by Microsoft and a powerful recovery in semiconductor shares, recovering the ground lost after a…
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Commodities Wrap 30 July: Palladium Jumps 4.7 Percent as Metals Rally and Oil Slips
The metals complex led commodities higher on Thursday while crude oil slipped, as a sharply weaker US dollar lifted precious and industrial…
Read more →Market Wrap MENA-Asia 30 July: Gulf Firms on Oil as China and Korea Retreat
Asian markets were mostly softer on Thursday as the region digested a hawkish hold from the US Federal Reserve and a sharp…
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Euro Area Growth Rebounds to 0.4 Percent After a Flat First Quarter
Euro-area output rebounded in the second quarter of 2026, growing 0.4 percent from the previous quarter after being unchanged in the first.…
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German GDP Grows 0.2 Percent While 2024 Contraction Is Revised to Zero
German gross domestic product increased 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from the previous quarter after adjustment for prices, seasonal…
Read more →IMF Article IV Projects Saudi Growth Rebounding to 5.5 Percent in 2027
The International Monetary Fund expects Saudi economic growth of 1.7 percent in 2026 before a rebound to 5.5 percent in 2027, as…
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France Returns to Growth With GDP Up 0.2 Percent in Second Quarter
France returned to growth in the second quarter of 2026, but the composition of the rebound points to limited underlying domestic momentum.…
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Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75 Percent as Three Members Vote to Hike
The Bank of England held its benchmark interest rate at 3.75 percent on Thursday, with three of its nine policymakers voting for…
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IMF Projections Put Five Arab Debt Ratios Above 80 Percent in 2026
Five Arab economies are projected to carry general government gross debt above 80 percent of gross domestic product in 2026, according to…
Read more →Market Wrap US-Europe 29 July: Dow Falls 2.2 Percent as Oil Jumps, Long Yields Rise
Wall Street sold off hard into the closing bell on Wednesday, and the damage arrived after the Federal Reserve had already finished…
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Fed Chairman Warsh Rejects Pause Label and Restates the 2 Percent Target
Kevin Warsh spoke for roughly ten minutes before taking questions on 29 July, in his second news conference as Chairman of the…
Read more →Commodities Wrap 29 July: Oil Surges 8 Percent as US-Iran Strikes Resume
Oil ripped higher and dragged the security premium back into the commodities complex on Wednesday. Brent crude settled 8.07 percent higher at…
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Federal Reserve Holds Rates at 3.50 to 3.75 Percent With Three Hike Votes
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest-rate range unchanged at 3.50 to 3.75 percent on 29 July, extending the pause to a…
Read more →Market Wrap MENA-Asia 29 July: Oil Surges 8 Percent and Asian Chips Slide Again
The security premium rushed back into oil on Wednesday, and the region's markets split around it. Brent crude surged nearly 8 percent…
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OPEC Plus Seven Add 188 Thousand Barrels a Day to August Output
Seven OPEC Plus producers meet on 2 August having raised August targets by 188 thousand barrels a day, the third consecutive month…
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UAE Retail Treasury Sukuk Draws 445 Million Dirhams at 4.30 Percent
The UAE listed its first sovereign retail Treasury Sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai on 2 July, drawing 445 million dirhams at 4.30 percent,…
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Bundesbank Puts the Average US Import Tariff at Almost 12 Percent
The Bundesbank puts the average US import tariff at almost 12 percent against 2.3 percent in 2024, and models an escalation that…
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United States Goods Trade Deficit Narrows to 101.5 Billion Dollars in June
Exports fell 1.8 percent and imports 2.6 percent in June, narrowing the goods gap to 101.5 billion dollars on a contraction in…
Read more →Markets Price One in Three Odds of a Fed Rate Rise This Week
The FOMC decides at 9:00 p.m. Kuwait time with the target range at 3.50 to 3.75 percent, and Citadel Securities calling for…
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- Europe Market Wrap 19 October: All Nine Indices Fall as France’s Fiscal Worries Spread
- Europe Market Wrap 9 October: All Nine Indices Rise as Basic Resources Jump 2.99 Percent
- US Market Wrap 12 October: The Dow Alone Rises 0.38 Percent as the Nasdaq 100 Falls 0.71 Percent
- Asia Market Wrap 7 October: All Eight Indices Fall as Seoul Drops 1.98 Percent
- Europe Market Wrap 16 October: All Nine Indices Rise to Cap the Stoxx 600’s Best Week Since June