The Bahraini bond and sukuk (Islamic bond) market has been the best performing GCC fixed-income market up until December 2016, returning an average of 8.7% despite a turbulent period which saw oil prices fall to as low as $28 and the country stripped of its investment-grade, long-term issuer rating.
As investors open up to this alternative investment class, real estate investment trusts (REITs) are gradually gaining traction within the GCC. In 2016 we saw the listing – but not an initial public offering (IPO) – of Riyad REIT at Tadawul, as well as the IPO of Eskan Bank REIT, which completed its offering on December 6, 2016 and listed on...
Bahrain has always been one of the more connected centres of the Gulf. It has been a vibrant entrepôt for millennia, boasting a maritime history dating back to the commercial traffic that once plied the waters between ancient Mesopotamia and the civilizations of the Indus valley. Its geographic location has resulted in a particularly close...
While low oil prices continue to limit the region’s – and in particular Bahrain’s – economic growth, non-oil growth appears to be generally resilient. Bahrain’s real GDP growth in the first half of 2016 reached 3.5% year-on-year (y-o-y), while the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) forecast growth in 2016 would slow to 2.8%. Non-oil GDP...
The decline in oil prices since the second half of 2014 has focused attention on the liquidity position of the kingdom’s banking sector, and its consequent ability to achieve lending growth. The issue is a regional rather than a purely local one. The prominence of hydrocarbons revenues on the balance sheets of GCC governments means that they...
Stay updated on how some of the world’s most promising markets are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and what actions governments and private businesses are taking to mitigate challenges and ensure their long-term growth story continues.
Register now and also receive a complimentary 2-month licence to the OBG Research Terminal.
Register Here×