Fitch Ratings this morning affirmed Ras al-Khaimah’s long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at A with stable outlooks. The short-term foreign currency IDR has also been affirmed at F1. The country ceiling has been affirmed at AA+,…
Author: Edmund O'Sullivan
I am a writer, author, economist and business person. I've reported on and done business in the Middle East since 1979 and travelled throughout the region. I specialist in reporting and writing, economic and media industry consultancy, business development and conference moderation.
MEED presents Bahrain Energy Project report to Bahrain’s Finance Minister
A MEED report on Bahrain’s large project programme to 2022 and beyond was presented yesterday in Awali to Bahrain’s Minister of Finance Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohamed al-Khalifa by MEED Events Chairman Edmund O’Sullivan. Shaikh Ahmed is also responsible for Bahrain’s…
IPO planned for Bahrain’s container port: Reuters
Bahrain’s Transport Ministry told Reuters yesterday that an initial public offering (IPO) is planned of shares in the kingdom’s Khalifa bin Salman Port, a privately-operated container terminal. It would be Bahrain’s first big IPO since 2010, Reuters said. The port…
KA-Care leadership change could mean new Saudi solar policy: Bloomberg
The departure of one of the most senior executives at the King Abdullah City for Atomic & Renewable Energy (Ka-Care) could signal a change of direction at the Saudi agency that will involve it focussing on nuclear power, according to…
Fears grow of civil war in Libya
Commentators and reporters say Libya is on the brink of all-out civil war involving government forces, heavily-armed militias and a new movement supported by rebel army officers. Alarm about violence in the country has grown since major general Khalifa Haftar…
Ritz-Carlton says no new Dubai hotels planned: Gulf News
Ritz-Carlton, the luxury hotel brand of Marriott International of the US, has no plans to develop further hotels in Dubai before 2020, the Dubai daily Gulf News today reported Ritz-Carlton global operations officer Bob Kharazmi as saying. There are two…
Bids invited for Sir Bani Yas Island hotel concession
Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) today called for bids for the 30-year concession to build and operate a three-four star hotel beachside resort on Sir Bani Yas Island in the west of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.…
Qatar Exchange says margin-trading, short-selling and ETFs on agenda
The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) plans to launch margin-trading and covered short-selling to capitalise on the inclusion this week of Qatari equities in the MSCI emerging markets index. UAE shares are also to be included in the index at the…
Iraq oil production rose by more than 100,000 b/d in April: OPEC
Iraq’s oil production rose to 3.3m b/d in April, more than 100,000 b/d above the figure reported in March, figures in the monthly OPEC Oil Market report show. Aggregate oil output by the six OPEC Gulf states in April was 21.9m b/d,…
IMF says Saudi growth to continue, surplus to decline
The IMF has given Saudi Arabia another positive report following the annual Article IV consultation visit to the kingdom earlier this month. “The economic outlook in Saudi Arabia remains favorable. Growth above 4 percent is expected in 2014 and 2015,…