Economy and trade

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing against any form of toll for the Strait of Hormuz.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

A tourist boat passes near crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and other vessels anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, June 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why the Hormuz oil shock never became an energy catastrophe

The US-Israel-Iran war produced a historic oil supply shock but not a severe global economic crisis, due to ample prewar supplies, China's energy pivot and strategic reserve releases.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Oil falls below $74 as Hormuz traffic recovers after Iran war

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Explainer

Lebanon advances controversial $500K golden visa law: What to know

A picture shows the four seasons hotel in Beirut with the snow covered mountain of Sannine in the background on March 8, 2019.

Explainer

Qatar blast underscores challenges in race to restart Gulf energy flows

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha on June 22, 2026.

Interview

US-Egypt fund makes case for economic statecraft in hard power era

A worker counts banknotes after filling up the tank of a vehicle at a petrol station in Giza on March 10, 2026.

Cornelius Queen

Cornelius Queen

Senior Vice President of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meets with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the COP 26 Climate Conference in Glasgow.

Israel’s Bennett hopes to outdo Netanyahu in relations with India

Stepping into the shoes of Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett makes efforts at strengthening the bilateral economic ties and the security alliance Israel has forged with India.

A boy looks on next to a stack of olive oil containers at an oil pressing facility belonging to Syrian Kurds.

Backlash after Islamist group in Idlib taxes olive crops

The HTS-affiliated Salvation Government imposed Islamic taxes on olive crops, thus worsening farmers’ plight amid the water scarcity and drought.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) listens as Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks.

US, Egypt conclude first 'strategic dialogue' under Biden

In a joint statement, the two countries pledged to continue their dialogue on the US-Egypt strategic partnership, regional cooperation and human rights.

Israeli Economy Minister Orna Barbivai (R) and Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yousef Alshamali meet in Amman, Jordan, Nov. 3, 2021.

Israeli, Jordanian economy ministers sign West Bank export deal

In their meeting Nov. 3, Economy Minister Orna Barbivai and Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yousef Alshamali agreed to expand the list of materials and products Jordan could export to the West Bank.

People shop at an open-air market in Ankara.

Turkish inflation nears 20% on rising food, energy costs

While Turkey’s latest official inflation figures beat expectations, raising some concerns over data integrity, consumer prices are expected to keep rising amid growing global energy costs.

Iranian rials are displayed in Tehran on July 31, 2019.

Iran’s plan to get rid of the subsidized exchange rate

Iran's subsidized exchange rate has failed to prevent the downfall of the rial — and a move to do away with it could actually help the economy.

World Bank

World Bank approves loan to Egypt, praises government for growth during pandemic

The loan accompanies various reforms, including actions to increase economic participation of women.

People sit in a garden in front of the Knesset, Jerusalem, Oct. 17, 2021.

Mansour Abbas puts mark on Israeli development plan for Arab communities

The coalition Ra’am party is proud of the approval by the government of a five-year plan for the economic development of Israeli Arab towns and villages.

Sudanese security forces keep watch as they protect a military hospital and government offices during protests against a military coup.

The Takeaway: Sudan’s fragile economic stability at risk after military takeover

Saudi Arabia’s plan for “net-zero”; Turkey’s spy busts; Syria’s rebel factions; Egypt’s robot detention; fatwas on marital sex and bodybuilding; fishing for plastic in the Nile … all in about 1,500 words!

Gasoline prices are displayed in Turkish lira at a gas station in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on June 15, 2020.

Protests break out in Syrian city controlled by jihadist faction

Protests erupted in Idlib against the Syrian Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, amid high inflation and deteriorating living conditions.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi (R), in Muscat, Oct. 20, 2021.

Greek foreign minister visits Oman

Nikos Dendias will also head to Libya this week and recently participated in a summit with allies Cyprus and Egypt.

Palestinian men gather to apply for work permits in Israel, at Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 6, 2021.

Israel announces 3,000 new Gaza work permits

The additional work permits for Gazans follows several Israeli measures aimed at easing border restrictions.