Saturday 3 February 2018

Dubai’s property sales hit slow speed in January | GulfNews.com

Dubai’s property sales hit slow speed in January | GulfNews.com:

"Most property buyers seem to have taken a timeout in January, with Dubai’s off-plan sales down 28 per cent in volumes and 40 per cent in value terms from a year ago. Some sort of drop-off was anticipated after an exceptionally strong 2017 for off-plan demand, but the January 2018 numbers seems to have come in much lower than expectations. In fact, Dubai’s developers kept well away from off-plan launches during January, with only three — Emaar, Damac and a private entity L-I-V, which opened sales for its first freehold tower — willing to do so. In Emaar’s case, it managed to pull in sales confirmations of Dh1 billion or so within days for the towers it launched at a brand-new development, the Beachfront."



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S&P affirms Kuwait's ratings on the back of anticipated return to growth in 2018 - The National

S&P affirms Kuwait's ratings on the back of anticipated return to growth in 2018 - The National:

"Standard & Poor's affirmed its AA/A-1+ ratings for Kuwait, the Arabian Gulf's third biggest oil producer, on the back of an expected return to GDP growth of around 2.5 per cent in 2018 thanks to rising oil prices. The ratings agency forecast Kuwait’s growth will average around 3 per cent over 2019-2021 on the back of rising oil production and investment projects, it said in a statement on Saturday, affirming the country’s outlook as 'stable'. “The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Kuwait's public and external balance sheets will remain strong over the forecast horizon, backed by a significant stock of financial assets,” S&P said."



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From a luxury 'prison,' an exclusive interview with Saudi Prince Alwaleed

From a luxury 'prison,' an exclusive interview with Saudi Prince Alwaleed:

"The global renown of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal made his involuntary detention in early November at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel one of the biggest single shocks of Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption crackdown.



The campaign, led by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, swept up nearly 400 members of the kingdom’s political and business elite. Authorities estimated financial settlements from the accused would net about $100 billion.

In late January, a BBC broadcast featured a Canadian businessman who said he had spoken with the prince via video link and that the prince appeared to be sitting in jail rather than at the five-star hotel. Saudi Arabia’s authorities had converted the hotel into a luxury prison where hundreds of the kingdom’s wealthiest figures were being held."



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Mahmud: U.K. Regulatory Changes to Woo Aramco to London - Bloomberg

Bloomberg:

"Hosting the Saudi Aramco IPO would be a major prize for Britain, as it wants to prove it is open for business after Brexit. Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Policy Analyst Sarah Jane Mahmud discusses changes to financial regulation that could help woo Saudi Aramco to London. She speaks with Nejra Cehic and Markus Karlsson on Bloomberg Daybreak Europe. Running time 04:46"

https://link.bloomberg.fm/BLM4847455674


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