Qatar Economy

In mid-December 2015 Qatar’s Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics cut the country’s GDP forecast for the year to 3.7%, down by nearly half from an earlier prediction of 7.3% and the 6.1% recorded in 2014.

Falling energy prices weighed on Qatar’s economic performance in 2015, with lower demand across key export markets and tougher competition producing a sharp drop in government revenues. However, double-digit growth for non-hydrocarbons helped foster economic momentum, expected to continue into 2016.

Dramatic news from Chinese markets grabbed headlines worldwide last month, while also leaving many emerging markets (EM) analysts wondering what the full fallout from Shanghai and Beijing would be, and in particular what this would mean here in the Gulf.

For many months now, investors worldwide have been putting US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s every statement under the strongest of analytical microscopes. A global search amongst her words for signs and portents regarding the future of interest rates has long been under way – with July’s meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) prompting yet another round of speculation.