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Economy & Business

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands

France, Saudi Arabia announce more than $10B in deals on MBS visit

Among the deals included a 6 billion euro ($7 billion) pledge from the Public Investment Fund in three manga-themed amusement parks on the outskirts of Paris.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Oil falls 1.8% as traders await 'toughest' sanctions on Iran

Traders are awaiting details about new US measures sure to further disrupt Iranian oil flows.

Khor Fakkan Container Terminal

Analysis

UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy

The Gulf state suspended trade with Iran after new attacks in August. Experts point to risks for both sides as the Trump administration seeks to squeeze Tehran economically.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

China’s once significant oil imports from Iran have been impacted by the war in the region and increasing US sanctions.

Latest News

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: A container ship departs the Port of Newark for the Atlantic Ocean on September 30, 2024 seen from New York City. A massive strike that could shut down ports across the East and Gulf coasts could begin at midnight as members of the International Longshoremen’s Association continue to make salary and other demands to the United States Maritime Alliance, which controls many of the ports across the country. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Red Sea, Iran energy threats amplify 2025 global economic risks as trade wars, Trump loom

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022.

Albania to receive 'significant' number of drones from Turkey, PM says

Turkey pledged to send drones to Egypt earlier this year, while the Maldives recently unveiled two Bayraktar TB2 aircraft.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Why Algeria restricted wheat imports from France

French-Algerian relations have grown tense in recent months over France’s colonial legacy and disputes over the status of Western Sahara.

Tingshu Wang/Getty Images

UAE’s AD Ports Group inks major deal with China

Political and economic cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and China is growing, with robust trade ties and a visit by the Chinese premier to the Gulf state.

United Arab Emirates

In an aerial view, container ships sit docked at the Port of Oakland on May 21, 2024, in Oakland, California.

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd to partner on Africa route avoiding Red Sea

Gemini Cooperation will use the Cape of Good Hope network, which has been the alternative transit route for hundreds of vessels since the Houthis stepped up their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in mid-November 2023.

A photograph taken on October 28, 2019 shows Saudi and foreign journalists at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) badge collection centre in the Saudi capital Riyadh. - Top finance executives and political leaders have converged on Saudi capital Riyadh for a Davos-style investment forum, in stark contrast to last year's mass boycott following the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. US officials and the heads of giant banks, top asset management firms and major sovereign wealth funds top the g

Gulf sovereign investors unshaken by Middle East wars but opt for global markets

Gulf Cooperation Council investors accounted for 40% of deals made by sovereign investors globally in 2023 and 2024.

United Arab Emirates

Cranes are used at a construction site across from high-rise buildings in Dubai, on Feb. 18, 2023.

Investors undeterred as Dubai’s real estate bubble risks increase in 2024

As players line up to capitalize on Dubai real estate, the city’s record-breaking boom stands out in annual UBS ranking of hot global property markets.

United Arab Emirates

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Abu Dhabi’s sovereign funds ranked wealthiest in world with $1.7 trillion

The assets of Gulf sovereign funds have risen considerably in recent years, in large part due to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

United Arab Emirates

AFP via Getty Images

Middle East startups see 34% uptick in global investors

Data firm MAGNiTT reported Tuesday that the Middle East far outperformed other markets and regions, including Africa and Southeast Asia, which saw steeper drops.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Las Vegas gambling operator Wynn Resorts to open first UAE casino

The UAE is looking to lure gaming tourists with the development of a large casino in the northern emirate of Ras al-Khaimah.

United Arab Emirates

This picture shows closed shops in an alley of Jerusalem's Old City, on Sept. 11, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Analysis

A year after Oct. 7, Israel’s economy battered by endless multifront wars

A year after the deadly attack on southern Israel by the Hamas militant group and the ensuing war in Gaza, the direct cost to the Israeli economy has been more than 100 billion shekels ($26.3 billion), according to the Israeli Finance Ministry.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

The flags of Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are projected on the ramparts of Jerusalem's Old City on September 15, 2020 in a show of support for Israeli normalisation deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed landmark accords normalizing the Jewish state's relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as part of a peace push brokered by US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty

Analysis

Israel-UAE trade to hit $3.3B in 2024 as wars in Lebanon, Gaza continue

Despite a growing Arab public backlash against economic ties with Israel, and politically strained ties between the UAE and Israel since the Gaza war, bilateral trade has continued across the technology, tourism and agriculture sectors.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics