TheMoody's Investors Service outlook for the Levant and North Africa is "broadly stable" for 2018, due to structural reforms, global economic growth and a simmering down of regional conflicts across the region. Morocco and Egypt are set to witness the region's highest economic growth this year.
"The improved global growth dynamics, ongoing structural reforms, and gradual re-opening of trade routes in former conflict areas, together with a planned reconstruction drive, will underpin GDP growth in 2018," said Elisa Parisi-Capone, a senior analyst at Moody's, in the agency's sovereigns outlook for the region, published on Tuesday.
“In addition, a tightening of global financing conditions poses fiscal risks for some countries, and elevated political risks will continue to drive event risk in the region.”
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Moody's forecasts oil range of $40-$60 for 2018
Moody’s affirms A3 rating and stable outlook for Sharjah
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Moody's has assigned stable ratings to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Morocco, which recently liberalised its monetary policy, has a positive outlook, while Tunisia, which has been rocked by anti-austerity protests this month, has a negative outlook.
The rating agency expects economic growth in the next four years to be most pronounced in Egypt, which has been recovering over the past year from a period of chaos in the aftermath of a series of popular uprisings. The economy of the Arab world's most populous country is expected to increase from 4.2 per cent in 2017 to 5 per cent in 2019 and 5.5 per cent in 2021.
Morocco's economic growth is likely to ease slightly this year to 3.5 per cent from 3.9 per cent in 2017 due to lower contribution from agriculture, before recovering in 2019.
Tunisia’s economy is expected to grow 2.8 per cent in 2018 up from 2.3 per cent in 2017, in spite of recent unrest in the country over price increases. GDP in Iraq, meanwhile, is forecast to increase by 2.9 per cent in 2018, with Jordan and Lebanon due to witness growth of 2.5 per cent and 2.8 per cent, respectively.
Global economic growth will give a boost to regional exports and services, including tourism, remittances and investment flows in 2018, with a rebound in oil prices providing further support, Moody’s predicted.
However, the Levant and North Africa continue to suffer from structural weaknesses, especially in the form of inefficient labor markets and weak competitiveness, the agency said. And while political tensions in the region have quietened down, they will continue to be a source of investor anxiety.
“Elevated tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, lingering security risks from recent regional conflicts in Iraq and Syria, and recurring Israeli-Palestinian tensions will shape geopolitical risk in the Levant, whereas North Africa remains exposed to potential policy paralysis from popular opposition to fiscal reform,” Moody’s said.
Book%20Details
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Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
SECRET%20INVASION
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UAE%20SQUAD
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
