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Israel attacked the Hamas leadership in Qatar, where this Palestinian Islamist group had long been based. Here are some comments from state and national leaders in response. ISRAELI PREMIER MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU "Today's operation against top terrorist leaders of Hamas is a completely independent Israeli operation. Israel is fully responsible for the event, as it was Israel who initiated, conducted and conducted it. "Qatar condemns the cowardly Israeli assault that targeted the residential buildings in Doha, the Qatari capital where several members of Hamas' Political Bureau resided." This criminal attack is a flagrant violation of international law and norms and...

Israel attacked the Hamas leadership in Qatar, where this Palestinian Islamist group had long been based. Here are some comments from state and national leaders in response. ISRAELI PREMIER MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU "Today's operation against top terrorist leaders of Hamas is a completely independent Israeli operation. Israel is fully responsible for the event, as it was Israel who initiated, conducted and took full responsibility." "Qatar condemns the cowardly Israeli assault that targeted the residential buildings in Doha, the Qatari capital where several members of Hamas' Political Bureau resided." This criminal attack is a flagrant violation of international law and norms...

Israel attacked the Hamas leadership in Qatar, where this Palestinian Islamist group had long been based. Here are some comments from state and national leaders in response. ISRAELI PREMIER MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU "Today's operation against top terrorist leaders of Hamas is a completely independent Israeli operation. Israel is fully responsible for the event, as it was Israel who initiated, conducted and orchestrated it. "Qatar condemns the cowardly Israeli assault that targeted the residential buildings in Doha, the Qatari capital where several members of Hamas' Political Bureau resided." This criminal attack is a flagrant violation of international law and norms and...

Investors bought traditional safe-haven investments on Tuesday. Gold briefly reached a record high after the Israeli military claimed it had attacked Hamas leaders in Qatar. This marked an escalation in the conflict in this region. The Japanese yen, Swiss franc and oil prices all rose by about $1 per barrel. COMMENTS: MICHAEL BROWN SENIOR RESEARCHER, PEPPERSTONE LONDON. The immediate reaction to the spike in crude benchmarks, and a slight increase in spot gold is logical. Qatar's response immediately shows that it is not looking to escalate tensions or retaliate. "I'd expect the rally in crude to fade relatively rapidly, as...

A government source stated on Monday that India will likely finalise terms of reference of a proposed free-trade agreement with Qatar by early October. This is in response to its efforts to create deeper global partnerships, and to offset the impact from U.S. Tariffs. The government source who requested anonymity because the details of the trade negotiations are not yet public told reporters that Trade Minister Piyush Goyal may visit Doha to finalize the framework for the negotiations on October 6. Both sides agreed that they would double their bilateral trade in five years to $28 billion during the visit...

The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a motion Tuesday on climate change, human rights and the Marshall Islands retracted a divisive amendement that asked states to commit to a phased-out fossil fuels. The motion calling for countries to "contribute to global efforts" to combat climate change was passed by consensus. This follows the 2021 council recognition of access to a healthy and clean environment as a right. The original language had revealed divisions amongst the 47 members, after the Marshall Islands, which is one of the most vulnerable countries to rising sea levels and has made an amendment to it...

A senior U.S. official stated on Tuesday that Yemen's Iran aligned Houthi group will be a persistent issue for the U.S. even after Washington reached an agreement with the Houthis last month, ending a U.S. aerial campaign against the group. Air Force Lieutenant-General Alexus Grynkewich told lawmakers that the Houthis will likely be a persistent issue... with which we'll have to deal in the future. Grynkewich was nominated as the new commander of U.S. Military's European Command. Last month, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. was ceasing to bomb the Houthis who were firing on U.S. warships, as well as...

The major stock markets in the Gulf rose early on Wednesday, in line with Asian stocks. This was due to signs of progress between the U.S. Both countries' top officials said that they had reached an agreement on a framework for resuming their trade truce and removing China's export restriction on rare earths. The broadest MSCI index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan increased by 0.5%. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index, which was traded after a break of four sessions, advanced by 1.2%. This was led by an increase of 1.7% in Al Rajhi Bank as well as a rise of...

Gulf stock markets mixed on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia's Tadawul main index fell 0.78%, as investor sentiment was fragile due to the unpredictable nature of U.S. president Donald Trump's policies. Trump's announcement on Sunday that he would delay his threat to impose 50% tariffs on the European Union gave a boost on futures markets. The deadline of July 9 was set for Washington to reach a deal with the 27-nation EU. Nasdaq Futures rose by 1.67%, while S&P 500 Futures increased by 1.49%. Brent crude futures were up 11 cents or 0.2% by 0640 GMT as the markets awaited clarity from...

ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance stated on Tuesday that U.S. shale production will plateau if oil prices stay where they are and will begin to decline when oil prices reach $50 per barrel. "The breakeven has probably not moved much." "I think that long-term if oil prices are in a range where they're comfortable - perhaps in the 70s or 65-75 - we will still see modest growth from the U.S.," Lance said, speaking at Qatar Economic Forum. We see a plateauing of production in the U.S. by the end of this year, unless we have a technological breakthrough. Don't bet...

Mukesh ambani, the Indian billionaire, will meet with Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Qatar's emir in Doha, according to two sources. His company, Reliance Industries, is looking to strengthen ties between authorities in both countries. Qatar's sovereign fund, QIA has invested in Reliance over the years. Ambani is Asia's wealthiest man and has many business relationships with U.S. technology giants like Google and Meta. Ambani is attending a state dinner in Doha for Trump, but he does not intend to have any business or investment discussions. This was confirmed by the first source who has direct knowledge...

QatarEnergy increased the term price of al-Shaheen oil loading for June by $1.76 a barrel over Dubai's quotes, according to trade sources on Wednesday. The increase was the first in three months, and it came after a premium of $1.29 a barrel for cargoes loaded in May. Dubai and Oman, Middle East benchmarks for crude oil, also saw increases this month. This was due to increased buying interest after the drop in oil prices. They said that the producer sold two cargoes at a price premium between $1.68 and $1.75 per barrel over Dubai's quotes. One cargo was sold to...

The major Gulf stock markets edged up in early trading on Monday. This was helped by rising expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut rates this month. However, weak oil prices limited gains. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to nearly four-year levels in August. This confirms that the labour market is softening, which will lead the Fed to cut rates next week. According to CME FedWatch, traders have priced in a rate cut of 25 basis points (bp), with an 8 percent chance of a 50-bp jumbo cut. The Fed's position is important in the Gulf where the majority...

On Monday, the Congo River Alliance (a coalition of Congolese rebel groups, including the M23), accused the government of breaking agreements meant to end the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The fighting in eastern Congo intensified in this year. M23 launched an offensive which allowed it to take control of the two biggest cities in the area. At a recent press conference, Corneille Nangaa (leader of the Congo River Alliance, AFC), said: "We have a duty to inform the Congolese and international community about the repeated violations of the ceasefire that are preventing the principle agreement." On...

TechMet, a U.S.-government-backed investment vehicle, is launching an arm to trade critical minerals following further investment by commodity trading house Mercuria. This was announced on Wednesday. TechMet, a private company, owns stakes in 10 different companies including Brazilian Nickel, Cornish Lithium, and Rainbow Rare Earths. According to a press release, TechMet SCM will be a new trading unit that will concentrate on specialty metals from its portfolio companies as well as third parties. Mercuria has increased its investment to make possible the launch the trading arm. It did not specify how much Mercuria had invested. TechMet stated that "it will......

Investors were anxiously waiting to see if Iran would respond to U.S. strikes on its nuclear sites. The price of oil has risen to its highest level since January, as supply fears were stoked by the United States joining Israel to attack Iran's nuclear sites. The market participants are expecting further price increases amid growing fears that a retaliatory move by Iran could include the closing of the Strait of Hormuz through which approximately a fifth of world crude oil supply passes. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index rose 0.7%. Al Rajhi Bank gained 0.6%, and Saudi Arabian Mining Company added...

Sources from both camps said that the delegations representing Congo's Government and Rwanda-backed M23 Rebels left Qatar without immediate plans to return after failing to make significant progress in a ceasefire. M23's unprecedented march since January has seen it seize the two largest cities in eastern Congo and raise fears of a regional war. Qatar mediated a surprise meeting between the Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi, and Rwandan president Paul Kagame last month. The two leaders demanded a ceasefire during this unexpected sit-down. The goal was to have direct talks between M23 and the Democratic Republic of Congo this month. Sources...

Investors were concerned about the uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policies and a possible economic slowdown. Traders await signs of progress in negotiations between the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump and its trading partners. This includes ongoing trade discussions with Japan. The biggest concern is the direction of any possible discussions with China. Saudi Arabia's benchmark Index fell 0.5%. This was due to a fall of 1.5% in ACWA Power Company, and a drop of 1.3% in Saudi Arabian Mining Company. Investors also absorbed comments made by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell who warned about the risks of slowing down...

Four sources confirmed that Congolese officials, as well as negotiators from the M23 rebels, who are supported by Rwanda, have arrived in Doha to hold talks on a ceasefire. The aim is to end months of fighting which have caused fears of an expanded regional conflict. M23's rapid advances this year have left thousands of civilians killed, hundreds of thousands displaced and the rebels in control of much of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an area rich with tin and gold. Both delegations confirmed they were in Qatari capital, saying that there had been a face to face meeting on...

The de facto ceasefire that had been agreed between Congolese and Rwandan rebels in Walikale, a town located in eastern Congo, appeared to have collapsed on Monday. The rebels reneged on their promise to withdraw from the area and accused the army of breaking its own promises. The M23 rebels are hopeful about a possible ceasefire in Walikale. Captured last week The hope that diplomatic efforts would be revived to end the largest conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for decades was briefly sparked. This conflict is rooted in the long-lasting fallout of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the...

The majority of major stock exchange in the Gulf increased in early trade on Thursday, buoyed by wish for a potential ceasefire offer in between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon's prime minister revealed hope on Wednesday that a. ceasefire handle Israel would be announced within days as. Israel's public broadcaster published what it said was a draft. arrangement offering a preliminary 60-day truce. The push for a ceasefire for Lebanon is taking place. alongside a similar diplomatic drive to end hostilities in Gaza. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index acquired 0.2%,. with ACWA Power Company advancing 3.9% and aluminium. products maker Al...

Major stock exchange in the Gulf increased in early trade on Monday amid expectations of a U.S. interest rate cut this week, with the Saudi index on course to acquire for a. 3rd session. The Fed's two-day financial policy meeting beginning on. Tuesday will take centre stage for the week. Expectations are. for the reserve bank to kick-start a relieving cycle, providing. space for local central banks to think about cutting rates. Markets are pricing in a 59% opportunity of a 50 basis points. ( bps) cut, with a 41% possibility of a 25 bps cut, CME FedWatch. tool revealed....

Major stock exchange in the Gulf rose in early trade on Monday as investor belief stayed upbeat on hopes of a September rate cut in the United States. The Federal Reserve is anticipated to begin a rate-cutting cycle at its monetary policy conference on Sept. 17-18. Traders presently see a 67% opportunity of a 25 basis-point (bp). decrease by the U.S central bank this month and a 33% opportunity of. a 50-bp cut, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Financiers await the U.S. ISM production and services. prints, in addition to the JOLTS task openings, ADP private payrolls. and the...

Significant stock markets in the Gulf fell in early trade on Thursday due to increasing geopolitical stress in the region, while financiers await U.S. weekly unemployed claims information to evaluate the health of the labour market. In the Middle East, combating continued in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas militants, without any indications yet of a. concrete development in ceasefire talks in Cairo. More than 40,500 Palestinians have been eliminated in the war,. according to Gaza's health ministry. The congested enclave has. been laid to squander. The majority of its 2.3 million individuals have actually been. displaced numerous times...