Arab countries in transition will need external financing of USD 50 billion-60 billion annually and cannot continue to rely solely on contributions from rich Gulf states, according to new estimates by the International Monetary Fund.

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More than 56 healthcare projects with a value of more than USD 33 billion are under way in the Gulf states, according to Zawya Projects data gleaned by alifarabia.com. CONTINUE READING

Galt Museum & Archives on The Commons / Foter.com

Morocco, Egypt, Libya and Algeria are at high risk to a Eurozone meltdown, but Gulf states hardly have reason to be complacent, according to new research. CONTINUE READING

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Stuck in Customs / Foter

Gulf states stand out in regional ICT subscriptions, but data shows there is still tremendous scope for greater broadband and Internet penetration across the region. READ MORE HERE

Breakeven oil prices for Saudi Arabia and the UAE decline for the first time in years, according to Deutsche Bank, which is great news for the

GCC, especially at a time of falling crude prices and global and regional economic uncertainty. CONTINUE READING

Gulf states are expected to spend USD29-billion over the next two years on their electricity infrastructure, according to ratings agency Moody’s Investors Services. READ MORE HERE

UAE-South Korea trade is expected to rise 21% this year, as hydrocarbons-rich Gulf states move closer to energy-hungry Asian markets. READ MORE HERE

The Middle East North Africa markets lost more than USD100-billion in 2011, according to Zawya’s market analysis tool.

Gulf markets alone lost USD52-billion, despite significant revenues generated by high crude prices during 2011, which kept the economies in great shape.

The Gulf states also benefited from economic packages unveiled by virtually all the six GCC states, but investors were more concerned about Arab Spring, geopolitical tensions, slow growth in the U.S. and a sovereign debt crisis in Europe to pay to much attention to domestic stimulus. READ MORE HERE

By Alon Ben-Meir

Due to a host of common denominators in the Arab world including the lack of traditional liberalism, the tribes’ power, the elites’ control of business, the hold on power by ethnic minorities, the military that cling to power, and the religious divide and Islamic extremism, the Arab Spring could sadly turn into a long and cruel winter. These factors are making the transformation into a more reformist governance, slow, filled with hurdles and punctuated with intense bloodshed. At the same time, each Arab country differs characteristically from one another on other dimensions including: history and culture, demographic composition, the role of the military, resources, and geostrategic situations. This combination of commonality and uniqueness has had, and will continue to have, significant impacts on how the uprising in each Arab country evolves and what kind of political order might eventually emerge.

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Gulf states have pledged $150-billion in response to the regional unrest, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates. But it may not be enough. READ MORE HERE

The Standard & Poor’s downgrade of the U.S. economy was the great unthinkable just a few months ago. They are now a stark reality. While the short-term impact may not be immediate - save for market gyrations, it is long-term implications are clear: the U.S. economy is no longer the safest, the most dynamic and the most enduring in the world, and U.S. Treasuries - may be not tomorrow but certainly over time - will no longer the safe havens everybody counted on.

The Gulf states which have aligned itself to the U.S. Dollar in more ways than one, also need to think radically outside their dollar-filled box. While, don’t expect Gulf states to publicly speak negatively about the U.S. economy or the dollar, one certainly hopes that behind closed doors, there is a concerted hope to realign the regional economies to the new realities. READ MORE HERE
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Jordan and Morocco’s possible inclusion in the Gulf is a political move rather than an economic one, but there might be other - unlikely - candidates in the region far suitable for the purpose.

The potential inclusion of Morocco and Jordan in the GCC fold should be taken for what it is - a political move by the Gulf states to widen their sphere of influence in the region. Read More Here