QAT News and Press, iShares MSCI Qatar ETF From 04/19/23

2023-04-19 10:18:00 ET Summary Qatar's real GDP grew by a robust 8.0% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2022, as per preliminary estimates released by the Planning and Statistics Authority. We continue to expect slower real GDP expansion throughout 2023 as weaker global dema...

2023-04-14 00:00:00 ET Summary Deposits are the main source of funding for EM commercial banks. Some frontier countries still lag in terms of regulatory best practices. The volatility seen in the aftermath of recent events created investment opportunities. There has ...

2023-03-22 00:36:00 ET Summary The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is benefiting from a resurgence in growth. Giga projects have been the cornerstone of the multi-year reform process underway in the region. MENA's weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index has increa...

Summary The Gulf Cooperation Council area has so far withstood global challenges, with year-on-year GDP growth accelerating to 6.9% in 2022, driven by high oil prices and stronger growth rates in non-oil sectors. Inflation rates in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries remain below the...

Summary Over the past five years, the FTSE Russell GCC Extended Index strongly outperformed both the broader FTSE Middle East & Africa Extended (MEA) and the FTSE Global All Cap indices. The Omani bourse was the GCC’s star performer in 2022, outstripping the GCC Extended inde...

Summary China’s economic reopening is proceeding swiftly, despite the spike in COVID-19 cases in early January. January witnessed a dramatic shift in the performance of growth stocks, with the MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index posting double-digit returns. Consensus expectat...

Summary We are optimistic that emerging markets, in particular Chinese equities, can post positive returns in 2023. Consensus expectations point to two further increases in the US federal funds rate in 2023. As the investment environment evolves, an important feature that we seek in...

Summary Interest rates rose more than most predicted, and inflation continued its decade-long ability to surprise forecasters. Implicit in both projections is that inflation has peaked, and the majority of rate hikes are behind us. In our view, it would be more prudent to focus on a...

Summary Economic activity in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is expected to sharply decelerate in 2023 after strong growth in 2022. For the MENA hydrocarbon importers group, we anticipate a real GDP growth slowdown from 4.2% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2023 and 3.1% in 2024. W...

Summary China’s inflection point began with the easing of access to credit in the property sector in October 2022. If the International Monetary Fund’s forecasts for resilient EM economic growth in 2023 prove to be correct, this should have a positive effect on revenue tre...