Emerging markets
With Trump pressure and a ‘new Lebanon,’ can Hezbollah’s shadow economy be dismantled?
Key Points “Hezbollah finds itself in its greatest predicament since its foundation,” one regional expert told CNBC. Hezbollah makes money from industries like banking and construction, but also runs international drug trafficking and smuggling operations as far afield as Bulgaria and Argentina. Its revenues are estimated in the billions of dollars annually. Following Israel’s aggressive […]
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Private investors buy into largest-of-its-kind solar deal to electrify Kenya
Commercial banks have bought into a major $150 million financing deal for off-grid solar power in Kenya, in a sign of growing investor confidence in the electrification of sub-Saharan Africa. Sun King, an off-grid solar energy company, raised the Kenyan-shilling equivalent of $156 million by bundling future payments from its solar-power customers into an asset-backed […]
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Saudi Arabia reckons with its costly megaprojects as $500 billion ‘The Line’ is reviewed
Digital render of NEOM’s The Line project in Saudi Arabia The Line, NEOM DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is reassessing its flagship $500 billion futuristic city called The Line. The public investment fund has tapped consulting firms to conduct a strategic review into the feasibility of the 105-mile linear city, […]
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Israel’s stock market outperforms Middle East counterparts despite multi-front wars
A missile is intercepted over Tel Aviv on June 20, 2025, after a Iran fired a fresh salvo of missiles. John Wessels | Afp | Getty Images Israel’s stock market is at a record high and has seen the greatest gains of any country in the Middle East over the 22 months of war that […]
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Was it all ‘just a big show?’ Anxiety, frustration and hope for Middle East residents as Trump brokers fragile ceasefire
A view of missiles over Doha, Qatar after Iran has launched an operation targeting a U.S. base in Qatar on June 23, 2025. Stringer | Anadolu | Getty Images DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Escalating regional war, or a bunch of choreographed theatre? A shaky ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump Monday night looks to […]
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Fund managers are pouring money into emerging markets. Here’s where investors see opportunities
Volatility has gripped global equity markets this year — and according to some asset managers, now could be the perfect time to rethink emerging markets. Developing economies were hit particularly hard by U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” plans when he unveiled them in April, with Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Vietnam slapped with tariffs […]
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Stealth aircraft and 30,000-pound bombs: Why destroying Iran’s nuclear program is such a difficult feat
A KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft refuels a B-2 Spirit aircraft with the 509th Bomb Wing over Kansas Aug. 29, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran is staring down the possibility of seeing its most important nuclear facilities hit by a 30,000-pound American bomb. White House officials on Tuesday told NBC News […]
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Iran launches 100 drones at Israel in response to missile attack as markets reel
Traffic flows on a highway in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 13, 2025 following reported Israeli strikes targeting Iran early in the morning. AFP | Getty Images DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran launched more than 100 drones toward Israeli territory Friday morning after Israel’s overnight missile strike on the country killed at least […]
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Trump wanted an Iran deal fast. Now he may get military confrontation
This combination of pictures created on April 09, 2025 shows US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff after a meeting with Russian officials at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18, 2025 (L); and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaking to AFP during an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on March 7, […]
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As the TACO trade goes viral, another is gaining traction: ‘Anywhere But The USA’
“It’s become quite emotive,” one market watcher told CNBC. “Nobody wants to invest in an environment where the government might change its mind overnight.” Source
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