Daily Gulf Intelligence
πŸ“… August 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

Qatar Airways rolls out Musk’s Starlink on 150 aircraft

Oil prices fell in early Friday trade, following a five-day streak of gains, after the US said it would unveil its latest economic sanctions on Iran on Monday. BrentΒ crude futuresΒ lost 34Β cents, or 0.

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

Saudi Oil Exports from Mediterranean Soar with Shuttles North to Avoid Houthis

Saudi Arabia has boosted its crude oil exports from Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir by about 33% in the month since the Houthis threatened Saudi oil shipments in the southern Red Sea and the

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

China Scales Back Austerity With Smaller Budget Spending Dip

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is on the brink of a trade pact with the US. His next challenge will be convincing his country that swallowing some tariffs is worth the greater economic certainty

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

China's New Five-Year Plan Preps the Nation for Peak Oil

China's energy strategy has largely shielded it from the fallout of the war in Iran and the resultant closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil and gas trade. However, the country

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

Economists Boost US Growth Forecasts for Third Quarter

A key measure of euro-area pay growth eased, offering further relief to the European Central Bank as it assesses inflation risks from the Iran war.

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

US, Iran keep up hostile rhetoric ahead of new sanctions

By Menna AlaaElDin and Kanishka SinghCAIRO/WASHINGTON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The United States and Iran exchanged defiant messages ahead of Monday's scheduled announcement of new U.S. economic sanctions

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on AI 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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