Daily Gulf Intelligence
πŸ“… July 22, 2026 πŸ• 7:00 AM Gulf Time πŸ“Š Auto-Generated
REGULAR EDITION

πŸ“ˆ Market Snapshot

Tadawul
12,450
β–² 0.4%
ADX
9,780
β–² 0.6%
DFM
4,320
β–Ό 0.2%
QE Index
10,890
β–² 1.1%
Brent Crude
$82.40
β–² 0.8%
Gold
$2,510
β–² 1.2%
Silver
$32.40
β–² 2.1%
USD/SAR
3.75
β€”

πŸ“° Top Stories β€” 4 Minute Read

1

Loan growth helps to drive NBK net profit above $1bn

Dubai’s DP World has secured funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union for a green initiative to cut emissions at Romania’s ConstanΘ›a Port on the

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on construction sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Oman   🏷️ Markets
2

Japan’s Trade Deficit Widens as Yen, Iran War Inflate Imports

A narrow majority of economists expect Bank Indonesia to raise interest rates again to support the rupiah and contain inflation, even as the economy slows.

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on inflation sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Gulf   🏷️ Markets
3

Oil Prices Climb as U.S.-Iran Conflict Shows No Signs of Slowing

Oil prices continued to climb in early Asian trade on Wednesday as the renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran showed no signs of slowing.Β  At the time of writing, Brent crude was tradi

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on oil price sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Gulf   🏷️ Energy
4

Houthis Force Saudi Oil Tankers To U-Turn in Red Sea

Shipping disruption:Β Houthi threats forced two Saudi oil tankers to turn around in the Red Sea as Hormuz traffic slowed sharply after more tanker attacks. Escalation in Gulf:Β Iran claimed strikes on i

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on infrastructure sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Kuwait   🏷️ Energy
5

Finland Seeks to Revive Economy, Handle Public Debt Under EU Pressure

Sri Lanka’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, balancing the need to bring inflation back to target while supporting economic growth as renewed conflict between the US and Iran c

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on inflation sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Gulf   🏷️ Markets
6

Nigeria Holds Interest Rates as War Stokes Inflation Fears

Russia halted auctions of domestic government bonds after a series of failed sales amid speculation the central bank may pause a year-long monetary easing cycle.

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on inflation sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Gulf   🏷️ Finance

πŸ” Sector Watch

πŸ›’οΈ

Energy

Brent holding $80-85 range. OPEC+ discipline intact through Q3. Non-OPEC supply growth slowing. Asian demand forecast revised up 0.4% by IEA.

🏦

Finance

GCC bank profits up 18% YoY. NIMs stabilizing. Loan growth strongest in Saudi (22%) and UAE (16%). DIFC: 47 new fintech licenses Q1.

πŸ—οΈ

Real Estate

Dubai residential transactions hit AED 42B in April β€” monthly record. Saudi giga-project awards reached $18B Q1.

πŸ’»

Technology

Gulf VC: $1.2B across 84 deals Q1. Saudi startups 37% of total. Fintech and logistics lead. 3 deals above $50M in Riyadh.

🌍 Regional Briefs

πŸ‡ΈπŸ‡¦
5.6%
Non-Oil GDP
πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ͺ
56.8
Dubai PMI
πŸ‡ΆπŸ‡¦
$12.8B
Budget Surplus
πŸ‡°πŸ‡Ό
$140B
Infra Plan
πŸ‡§πŸ‡­
3.2%
GDP Growth
πŸ‡΄πŸ‡²
Ba1
Moody's
πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡¬
22.4% ↓
Inflation
🌍
$4T
GCC SWF

πŸ“… Week Ahead

Mon Jun 30 GCC Finance Ministers β€” Riyadh
Tue Jul 1 OPEC+ Technical Committee β€” Vienna
Wed Jul 2 UAE-India CEPA Review β€” Abu Dhabi
Thu Jul 3 Arab League Economic Council β€” Cairo

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