1/ Gulf markets traded mixed to lower as Hormuz-related shipping risk resurfaced. Dubai edged up while Abu Dhabi slipped on Friday, with investors focused on regional risk over earnings. Fertilizer and energy disruption stayed the dominant regional theme.
2/ 🇪🇬 Egypt: Cairo pressed ahead with reform momentum from the IMF’s completed 5th/6th reviews. State reports in early August showed the government actively assessing privatization of several state-owned holding companies to attract FDI and meet reform benchmarks.
3/ 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Aramco reported a strong H1 2026, posting adjusted net income of $67.2 billion, maintaining crude supplies despite unprecedented Hormuz shipping disruptions.
4/ 🇶🇦 Qatar: Qatar sent its first LNG shipment through Hormuz in over three weeks following a tanker attack, though the wider picture stayed fragile, with regional LNG transit through the Strait down 95% and urea exports down 83% year-over-year (Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia normally supply 30%+ of global urea trade).
5/ 🇦🇪 UAE: Q1 2026 real GDP grew 3% to AED 485bn ($132bn), with non-oil GDP up 4.8% (79.4% of the economy). The UAE also activated emergency bankruptcy protections for businesses hit by the Iran war.
6/ 🇮🇱 Israel: Visa’s $2.4 billion acquisition of BioCatch capped a strong run for Israeli cyber, part of a year in which Israel raised $15.6 billion in 2025, concentrated in cyber and business software.
7/ 🛢️ Regional Energy: Brent traded around $89–90 mid-week, on track for a >7% weekly decline, before drifting toward $85/bbl by Friday amid continued Strait uncertainty.