Daily Gulf Intelligence
πŸ“… August 18, 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

Egypt reports 20% rise in new company registrations

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund increased its share of the kingdom’s non-oil economy last year by nearly $100 billion, as the sovereign wealth fund continued to invest heavily at home and expand

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on sovereign wealth fund sector across Gulf markets. Regional implications are material.
πŸ“ Saudi Arabia   🏷️ Markets
2

Qatar VC favours Asia and Turkey over pricier Silicon Valley

Flydubai has resumed flying over Iranian airspace for the first time since the outbreak of the Iran conflict – although Dubai-based Emirates continues to avoid the country. The UAE low-cost carrier is

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

Why Libya’s Next Oil Pipeline Could Be a Geopolitical Game-Changer

The proposed Libya–Egypt crude oil pipeline has, surprisingly quickly, entered a phase in which Cairo and Tripoli are actively discussing it. The pipeline, expected to be 800 kilometers long, will con

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

Jordanian king looks to advance Jordan-China strategic partnership

Amman: Jordan looks forward to expanding cooperation with China into areas such as green energy, scientific innovation, tourism and civil aviation, said...

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

Brazil Economic Activity Suffers Biggest Drop in Over a Year

Nigeria’s inflation rate fell in July, raising expectations that the central bank may resume cutting interest rates from as early as next month.

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

L’imad unit seeks to increase stake in AD Ports to 100%

Oil prices held gains on Monday as the stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz continued, while US President Donald Trump urged Americans to brace for higher fuel costs. BrentΒ crude futuresΒ were up 92 cen

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

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 Aug 24 GCC Finance Ministers β€” Riyadh
Tue Aug 25 OPEC+ Technical Committee β€” Vienna
Wed Aug 26 UAE-India CEPA Review β€” Abu Dhabi
Thu Aug 27 Arab League Economic Council β€” Cairo

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