Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Donald Trump

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Donald Trump and his impact on Middle East business from AGBI

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Markets have rebounded in early trading in the US and at close in the Middle East

Middle East stocks close up as markets recalibrate

Middle Eastern stocks closed trading higher on Tuesday following days of turmoil. Saudi Arabian stocks were up for the second day in a row on Tuesday, making a 1 percent gain. On Sunday the Saudi index dropped 6.8 percent, its largest one-day fall since the Covid-19 pandemic. Kuwait’s stock exchange registered a 3.08 percent gain […]

A construction site in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is preparing to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup

Oil price raises $1 trillion question for Saudi Arabia

Questions are being raised about the long-term future of Saudi Arabia’s trillion-dollar infrastructure strategy as oil prices hit a four-year low and global stock markets tumble, according to economists. For the world’s second-largest oil producer, much depends on the trajectory of crude prices. The price of Brent crude has fallen by about 13 percent to […]

A worker at Jordan's Aqaba container terminal. Jordan has had a free-trade agreement with the US since 2001 and pegs its currency to the US dollar

US levies render Middle East trade deals worthless, say analysts

US president Donald Trump’s global tariff policy has bulldozed through dozens of free-trade agreements, including a handful in the Middle East. The impact on the rules of international commerce could be severe, according to industry watchers. “To take such an abrupt and quick decision from one side, where you have more than 20 years of […]

Boat, Transportation, Vehicle

Oil prices rise 1% after heavy US tariff-driven selloff

Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Tuesday, rebounding after a hefty selloff in recent sessions led by concerns that US tariffs might depress demand and lead to a global recession. Brent futures were up 81 cents, or 1.26 percent, at $65.02 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 92 cents, or […]

US energy secretary Chris Wright will tour oil and gas production sites in the Middle East, looking at ways to cut US production costs

US energy secretary heads to Gulf to secure oil flows

US energy secretary Chris Wright is to begin a nearly two-week tour of three Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, marking his first visit as a US official to the de facto leader of the Opec oil producer group, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The trip, which will also include visits to […]

Stock market volatility following President Trump's widespread tariffs is likely to delay the launch of IPOs in the Gulf

Global stock market dive likely to delay Gulf IPOs

Steep declines in stock markets since President Donald Trump set out sweeping tariffs will almost certainly delay initial public offerings in the Gulf, analysts have told AGBI. Markets around the world have tumbled since the US president announced his plans for import taxes last Wednesday. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All-Share Index had its biggest one-day fall […]

A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Oil price drop leads Gulf’s government bonds to fall

Dollar-denominated sovereign bonds of Middle East and North African countries slid on Monday as President Donald Trump took effective US tariff rates to their highest in more than a century, causing steep declines in global stock markets and a flight to safety in US government debt. Saudi Arabia’s stock index tumbled to a 17-month low […]

A note in a book store says it has joined the Turkish opposition's call for a shopping boycott following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Turkish stocks drop 3% during global selloff

Turkish stocks dropped more than 3 percent on Monday, led by banks and fuelled by a global market selloff over US tariffs and counter moves. There is also ongoing pressure on the lira due to the jailing last month of Istanbul’s mayor. Istanbul’s main share index was off 2.5 percent at 08:50 GMT after opening […]

Containers being loaded at Oman's Salalah port. Total exports to the US reached $1.2bn last year, 11 percent lower than in 2023

Oman says US tariffs will have limited effect on trade

New import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration will have a minimum effect on Oman’s economy, a senior official said.  “The US tariffs apply only for our non-energy products and not to our crude oil, gas and refined oil, so there will be limited impact on our finances,” Dr Nasser Al Maawali, the Undersecretary […]

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Markets around the world have been rocked by Trump's tariffs

Aramco losses mirror wider Saudi stock plunge

The Saudi stock market opened at more than 2 percent lower on Monday to a 17-month low, following its biggest single one-day drop since the 2008 financial crisis. The Tadawul All Share Index (Tasi) tumbled by about 1,025 points or 8.6 percent following US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a minimum 10 percent […]

Scoreboard, Text, Number

Goldman Sachs raises odds of US recession risk to 45%

Goldman Sachs has raised the odds of a US recession to 45 percent in the next 12 months. It joins other investment banks in revising their forecast as fears of a trade war grip markets after sweeping tariffs from US President Donald Trump. Goldman raised the probably of a recession in the next 12 months from a previous estimate of 35 percent.  The decision followed a sharp […]

Imports of oil, gas and refined products were exempted from Donald Trump's tariffs but the policies could stoke inflation

Oil prices continue to fall as recession fears deepen

Oil prices slid more than 3 percent on Monday, deepening last week’s losses, as escalating trade tensions between the United States and China stoked fears of a recession that would reduce demand for crude. Brent futures declined $2.28, or 3.5 percent, to $63.30 a barrel at 00:49 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude […]

China announced that it would impose a 34% tariff on US imports from April 10

Oil prices plummet as trade war raises fears of recession

Oil prices continued to drop on Monday as fears of a global trade war intensified and major producers issued bearish signals. Saudi Arabia cut its crude prices to Asia and Opec+ advanced plans to increase output. Brent crude futures fell $2.28, or 3.5 percent, to $63.30 a barrel on Monday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) […]

Car parts form one of Turkey's main exports

Turkey’s auto industry hit hardest by tariffs

Turkish exporters expressed mixed feelings on the news of President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.  There was relief that most sectors escaped with just a 10 percent impost, but Turkey’s car and parts producers, one of the country’s leading manufacturing and exporting sectors, were much less happy with the 25 percent tariff on all automotive […]

A trader works at the New York Stock Exchange as President Donald Trump announces US tariffs. One analyst predicted Gulf stock markets will be the first to recover

Gulf stocks slide as investors fret over US tariffs

Dubai’s stock index tumbled on Thursday, poised for its biggest daily decline this year, and other Gulf bourses slid after US president Donald Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs on importers. Losers outnumbered gainers 34 to 10 on Dubai’s benchmark, which was down as much as 2 percent in early trade, mirroring declines on Asian bourses as […]

President Donald Trump announced a raft of trade tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC

Middle East fails to escape Trump’s tariffs

US President Donald Trump unveiled far-reaching new tariffs on Wednesday, including on the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East. Speaking from the Rose Garden of the White House, the president outlined a minimum 10 percent universal tariff on all imports into the United States, regardless of origin. This will […]

US treasuries are considered a haven for Gulf investors – and there are few alternatives aside from gold, says one expert

US treasuries could become less of a safe bet for Gulf investors

Economic advisers to President Donald Trump have proposed radical policies that could dim the allure of US government bonds for Gulf sovereign investors. The bonds, commonly known as treasuries, are considered among the lowest-risk investments. Many countries with excess dollars – from trade surpluses with the US or the sale of dollar-denominated goods such as […]

President Donald Trump signing an executive order applying tariffs to all auto imports. The GCC's bilateral trade with the US is worth around $80 billion

The Gulf must brace for indirect hits from Trump’s tariffs

Gulf states may stave off new tariffs US president Donald Trump is expected to announce but the measures’ indirect impact on the global economy and oil prices loom large. The region’s focus, industry watchers say, should be on diversifying trade relationships while embracing the UAE and Saudi Arabia playbook of investing in the United States […]