Qatar

Taiwan's economy minister announced on Saturday that the energy minister of a "major country" producing liquefied gas had given Taiwan assurances about supply. He was speaking in relation to the?impact of the Iran War on Middle East energy imports. Taiwan, which is a major producer of semiconductors, relied on Qatar to supply around a third its LNG prior to the conflict. It has now said that it has secured alternative supplies from countries such as Australia and the United States for the months ahead. Kung Ming Hsin, Taiwan's Economy Minister, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan enjoys good relations with...

Investors' sentiment was affected by the sagging of most Gulf stock markets in early Sunday trading, as concerns about a wider conflict linked to Iran weighed heavily on their minds. This came after Yemen’s Houthis launched the?first? attacks on Israel since the conflict started and the U.S. sent additional forces into the Middle East. The Washington Post reported Saturday that U.S. officials had said that the Pentagon was preparing for a possible multi-week?operation on the ground in Iran. However, it remained unclear whether President Donald Trump would authorize the deployment. The Qatari Index fell by 1.1% as Qatar National Bank,...

According to an academic analysis, the Patriot air defense system operated by the United States likely fired the missile that caused the pre-dawn blast in Bahrain which injured dozens and destroyed homes 10 days after the start of the war against Iran. Both Bahrain and Washington blamed the March 9 explosion on an Iranian drone. The Gulf kingdom reported that 32 people were injured, including some children, in the blast. U.S. Central Command stated on X on the day after the attack that an Iranian drone had struck a residential area in Bahrain. Bahrain acknowledged on Saturday, in response to...

Gulf officials said that three Gulf states were reviewing the way they invest trillions of dollars from their sovereign wealth funds to offset the losses caused by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the review could include divestments, reversals of investment pledges, and a reevaluation of global sponsoring deals. This is because the oil and gas-rich states are assessing how to deal with the financial shock. The top four economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council are Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Three of the four largest economies in the...

Gulf officials said that three Gulf states were reviewing the way they invest trillions of dollars from their sovereign wealth funds to offset the losses caused by the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter was sensitive and without naming the states, explained that these reviews could include reversing investment pledges, divesting and re-evaluating global sponsorship deals. The top four economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council are Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Three of the four largest economies in the GCC will be assessing current and future investments and sponsorships...

Oil prices dropped on Tuesday, after hitting a three-year high in the previous session. U.S. president Donald Trump predicted that the Middle East war could be over soon. This eased concerns about disruptions of global oil supply. Brent futures were down $4.17 or 4.2% to $94.79 per barrel at 0345 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however, was down $3.81 or 4% to $90.96 per barrel. Both contracts had fallen as much as 11 % earlier, before reversing some of their losses. On Monday, oil prices soared to their highest level since mid-2022 as Saudi Arabia and others cut...

The majority of 'Gulf' stock markets were up in the early trade on Sunday. The Saudi index was up for a fifth consecutive session after the?Iranian?temporary governing council agreed to stop attacks on neighboring nations, unless they originated on their own territory. Saudi Arabia told Tehran it supports a diplomatic solution to Iran's conflict with the U.S. but that continued attacks against the kingdom and its energy sector may push Riyadh into a similar response, according to sources. Saudi Arabia's benchmark.TASI index rose 2%. All of its constituents posted?gains led by energy and material stocks. Brent oil prices surged on...

Dubai and Abu Dhabi stocks plunged on Wednesday after they reopened following a two-day suspension in response to Iran's unprecedented wave of missiles and drones?attacks against the Gulf nation. The closing of the market froze the trading of billions of dollars worth of listed assets, as investors awaited clarification on the'scale of damage caused by the weekend strikes which 'hit airports and ports in both emirates, along with residential areas. Dubai's main share index fell 4.7% on a broad basis, led by Emaar Properties, a blue-chip developer, who dropped 4.9%. Budget airliner Air Arabia also declined 5%. In Abu Dhabi...

QatarEnergy announced on Tuesday that it would halt production of aluminium due to the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Natural gas prices have soared since Monday, when the state-owned company halted production of liquefied gas following Iranian drone attacks against its Ras Laffan facility. QatarEnergy holds 51% of the shares in Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Co, one of the shareholders in the 648,000-metric-ton per year Qatalum smelter alongside Norway's Norsk Hydro. QatarEnergy holds 51% in Qatar Aluminum ?Manufacturing Co, one of the shareholders in the 648,000-metric-ton-per-year Qatalum smelter alongside Norway's Norsk Hydro. IMPLICATIONS FOR ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION ?ARE UNCLEAR Hydro confirmed...

The majority of Gulf'stock markets fell Tuesday. Qatar's benchmark continued to fall after the country stopped liquefied natural gas production amid a escalating air war in the area, and Egypt also?fell? for a third consecutive day. Israel expanded its campaign by launching new strikes against Iran and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel, several Gulf States and a British base in Cyprus. QatarEnergy's, a state-owned company in Qatar, whose 82% clients reside in Asia, had planned to declare force majeure for its LNG shipments following Iranian drone attacks against facilities at the sprawling Ras Laffan Complex. Qatar...

The majority of Gulf stock markets fell on Tuesday. The benchmark Qatar index continued to decline after the country stopped?liquefied gas production amid an escalating air conflict in the region. Israel has 'extended' its campaign by launching new attacks on Iran and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel, several Gulf States, and a British base in Cyprus. QatarEnergy's, a state-owned company in Qatar, whose 82% clients reside in Asia, had planned to declare force majeure for its LNG shipments following Iranian drone attacks against facilities at the sprawling Ras Laffan Complex. Qatar's benchmark stock index fell 0.9%,...

Chris Wright, the U.S. Energy secretary, said that proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil will no longer be routed through an account in Qatar. Instead they are being sent directly to US Treasury Department accounts. The U.S. has taken control of Venezuela's oil exports after Washington and Caracas signed a landmark deal in January. The U.S. has taken control of Venezuela's oil exports as part of a historic deal signed between Washington and Caracas. To protect the money from seizure, it was initially deposited into a Qatari account. Wright, who spoke to reporters in Texas about the?reroute, said that...

Norsk Hydro announced on Thursday that its 'Qatalum' aluminium smelter, located in Qatar, would halt the curtailment begun last week. Production will be maintained at around 60% of capacity with reduced natural gas supplies. Qatalum - which has an annual smelting capability of 648,000 tons - began a controlled shut down on March 3, after it was informed that the gas supply would be cut off. QatarEnergy, a state-owned company, announced the day before that it would halt?LNG output after Iranian drones attacked its facilities. Hydro released a statement saying that Qatalum had decided to stop further curtailment after receiving...

Rio Tinto increased its offer of a?aluminum premium to?Japanese customers to $350 per ton for April-June primary shipments. This is up 79% compared to the current quarter. The revised offer, which is 40% more than Rio's prior proposal of $250, would, if accepted by the client, be the highest premium since the April-June 2015 quarter, when it reached $380 per ton. Japan is the largest?Asian metal importer and the premiums it agrees to pay each quarter for primary metal shipments over the London Metal Exchange cash price are the benchmarks for the region. Global?producers in late February offered Japanese buyers...

The Iran War has exposed a growing vulnerability of the West in its supply of aluminum, a metal that is classified by the United States as a crucial manufacturing input. The London Metal Exchange's (LME) aluminum price reached a four-year peak of $3,418 a metric ton Wednesday, after a Gulf producer, Qatalum, a joint venture between Norsk Hydro, Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing started powering down its smelter, and another, Aluminum Bahrain, declared force majeure. The Strait of Hormuz is still closed, and this could cause further disruptions to the'regional production hub' that provides 23% of non Chinese...

The Iran War has exposed a growing vulnerability of the West's aluminium supply, a metal that is classified by the United States as a "critical manufacturing input" and by the European Union. The London Metal Exchange's (LME) aluminium prices hit a four-year peak of $3,418 per metric ton Wednesday, after a Gulf producer, Qatalum, a joint venture between Norsk Hydro, Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing and Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing started shutting down their smelter, and another, Aluminium Bahrain, declared force majeure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is still in place, risks further disruption of a regional hub of production...

Due to widespread flight cancellations and airspace closures, the Middle East conflict has affected India's exports of gems and jewellery, as well imports of rough diamonds from United Arab Emirates. Dubai, which is a major "global hub" for polished and rough diamonds, and bullion has suspended many cargo and passenger flights. This has affected trade flows, and the shipments of essential raw materials and exports, according to industry officials. Vipul Shah is the managing director of Asian Star, one of the leading diamond exporters. Nearly a quarter of India’s annual gems, jewellery and watches exports totaling around $30 billion come...

Investors adopted a cautious stance in the early hours of trade on Thursday, as they awaited a third round U.S. - Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Geneva later in the day. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index fell 0.5% as its losses grew due to the Kingdom's increased budget deficit. The losses were widespread, with financial stocks leading. These included a 0.6% decline?in Al Rajhi Bank - the largest Islamic lender in the world - and a 1.4% drop in Saudi National Bank - the largest lender of the country by assets. Saudi Aramco's shares fell 0.7% and are on course to...

Investors shifted their focus to?corporate profits, while also weighing U.S. - Iran tensions. Officials from both sides said on Monday that Iran and the U.S. will resume nuclear talks in Turkey on Friday. Trump warned that if the sides failed to reach a deal, bad things could happen with U.S. warships advancing toward?Iran. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index rose 0.2% thanks to a 1.9% increase in ACWA Power, and a 0.6% rise in Saudi Arabian Mining Company. According to estimates by the government, the economy of Saudi Arabia grew 4.9% on an annual basis in its fourth quarter. This was...

The Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi claimed on Monday that Rwanda was not living up to its commitments, just days after he attended a ceremony held in Washington for the signing of agreements that were meant to end decades of conflict in Congo's mineral rich east. Tshisekedi aired the allegations in a speech before lawmakers. Rwanda did not respond immediately. In recent months, Congo, Rwanda and M23 rebels signed agreements with the United States and Qatar. Two local residents, who shared a video showing the M23 rebels meeting in the village of Luvungi and were interviewed by them, claim that over...

Fighting broke out in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Friday, just a day after U.S. president Donald Trump met with Congolese leaders and Rwandans in Washington for the signing of new agreements aimed at ending decades of conflict in this mineral-rich region. On Thursday, Congo's Felix Tshisekedi reaffirmed his commitment to the U.S.-brokered agreement reached in June. The deal aims to stabilize the vast country by allowing more Western mining investments. "We are settling a long-running war," said Trump. His administration intervened in many conflicts around the globe to burnish Trump's credentials as a world peacemaker, and advance U.S....

The major Gulf stock markets rose early on Thursday. This was due to rising oil prices, and the anticipation of the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting next week. Investors are looking for more information on the direction the central bank will take with interest rates. The oil prices rose after Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure indicated potential supply constraints. Stalled peace talks dampened expectations that a deal would restore Russian oil to global markets. However, weak fundamentals limited gains. Saudi Arabia's benchmark Index gained 0.5%. Saudi Arabian Mining Company rose 1%, while oil giant Saudi Aramco increased 0.4%. A survey...

On Saturday, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and M23 rebels signed a framework deal for a peace agreement aimed at ending the fighting in eastern Congo which has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes this year. Representatives from both sides signed the agreement at a Doha, Qatar ceremony. The document was one of many signed in the last few months to support efforts by the United States of America and Qatar to end the decades long conflict in Congo, which has threatened to escalate to a full-blown war in the region. Officials...

The major Gulf equity markets traded mixed on Tuesday morning, with investor sentiment being limited by the low crude oil prices and corporate earnings. However, some support was provided by the easing U.S. China trade tensions. Top Chinese and U.S. economists have hammered out a framework for a deal that U.S. president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping will decide on this week. This should ease fears of tariffs and export restrictions between the two world's largest oil consumers affecting global growth. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index rose 0.4%. The Saudi National Bank, the largest lender in Saudi Arabia...