Daily Gulf Intelligence
πŸ“… August 24, 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

Oil Prices Slide 2% as Markets Brace for Bessent’s β€˜Economic D-Day’

Oil prices fell by more than 2% in early Asian trade on Monday as traders took profits and markets awaited details of a new U.S. sanctions package against Iran. At the time of writing, WTI futures wer

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

US to unveil β€˜toughest Iran sanctions in history’ on Monday

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. Brent crude futures lost 34 cents, or 0.

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

Alshaya group brings chipotle to Saudi Arabia with Riyadh debut

Alshaya Group, the leading international franchise retail operator in the region, announced the launch of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its first restaurant op

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

US vows 'economic D-Day' as Iran threatens to halt all oil exports

By Yasmine Ghania and Kanishka Singh CAIRO/WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. threatened Iran with what it called "the greatest financial offensive ever marshalled" as it prepared to roll out eco

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

Egypt’s investment risk rating falls to lowest level since 2014, finance minister says

International investors have lowered their assessment of investment risk in Egypt to its lowest level since 2014 in response to recent economic reforms, Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk said. Speaking

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

Iranian president defends US pact to save economy as mutual threats loom

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended a new memorandum of understanding with the United States as the β€œbest way” for the country to overcome a state of β€œno war, no peace,” citing the urgent

β–ͺ Why it matters: Direct impact on KIA 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 31 GCC Finance Ministers β€” Riyadh
Tue Sep 1 OPEC+ Technical Committee β€” Vienna
Wed Sep 2 UAE-India CEPA Review β€” Abu Dhabi
Thu Sep 3 Arab League Economic Council β€” Cairo

Upgrade to Premium β€” $25/mo

βœ“ Executive Summary   βœ“ Deep Analysis & Trade Implications   βœ“ Premium Alerts   βœ“ 24/7 AI Analyst via WhatsApp   βœ“ Sector Deep-Dives