The Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s real estate market should present the best opportunity on the Arabian Peninsula in the coming years. It has the largest potential market in the GCC with abundant oil wealth and a growing and youthful population. But whereas its counterparts to the east have experienced the highs and lows of a full boom-and-bust cycle, and the headlines that accompany this, the Kingdom has ticked...

In line with plans to make the Kingdom a regional centre for logistics and trade, the 2014 budget put $17.76bn towards transport and infrastructure, the third-highest allocation. Plans for upgrades across all elements of the transport network including ports along the Red Sea and a national rail network will help to position Saudi Arabia as a base for logistics operations in the region,...

While international brand penetration is increasing, Saudi Arabia’s vast potential for retail has yet to be fully realised. A combination of favourable demographics, rising incomes, and strong consumer confidence and appetite make the country one of the most promising growth markets for retail globally. Although the local industry has a challenging operating environment and unique social dynamics...

Following two years of double-digit industrial growth in 2010 and 2011, non-oil output rose by 4.9% in 2012 and 4.7% in 2013. The Kingdom may still have a negative trade balance for industry – with exports of $35.08bn and imports of $103.35bn in 2012 – but with access to raw materials set to expand, foreign investors are showing interest in lighter segments. With the government making room for...

Faced with increasing consumer demand, the water and power sector is receiving a $37.5bn injection of state funding in 2014. These projects, chiefly in power generation, will be accompanied by a restructuring of the mostly state-owned power company that accounts for 85% of public supply. Electricity subsidies remain in place, with consumer prices near production costs, making them well below...

Already the world’s largest oil producer and second-largest repository of reserves, Saudi Arabia is now looking to boost output of natural gas, including through deep-water and unconventional exploration, as well as to increase refining output. Total oil production in 2013 was 11.53m barrels a day, down 1.1% on 2012’s record levels, but still amounting to 13.1% of global output. This chapter...