On May 16, John Iossifidis, chief executive of Noor Bank, rang Nasdaq Dubai’s market-opening bell to celebrate the listing of Noor Bank’s $500 million sukuk, acknowledged with a prominent congratulatory message displayed on Nasdaq Tower in Times Square, New York. Courtesy Noor Bank
On May 16, John Iossifidis, chief executive of Noor Bank, rang Nasdaq Dubai’s market-opening bell to celebrate the listing of Noor Bank’s $500 million sukuk, acknowledged with a prominent congratulatoShow more

2018 in review – how the GCC outperformed peers in bond markets



This year has been one of the worst on record this decade for global bond markets. While the key driver for negative returns has been rising benchmark interest rates, expectations of slower global growth and a wavering outlook on oil prices also played their part in dampening investor demand and causing credit spreads to widen. Against this backdrop, the GCC bonds and sukuk market had a reasonably constructive year.

The GCC fixed rate USD-denominated bond and sukuk universe increased by 17 per cent from total outstanding issues of $264 billion (Dh969.54bn) as at December 2017 to $310 billion as of mid-December 2018. New bonds issued in 2018 surpassed the $77 billion mark. Though this is less than the $85 billion recorded in 2017, it was achieved as oil revenues were on the rise, helping government budget deficits to narrow and their external funding needs to diminish.

The secondary market performance of new issues was lackluster, largely attributed to rising interest rates instead of any idiosyncratic negative perception on any given issuer. A refreshing development was the increase in corporate issuance with several new corporates tapping the bond market for the first time in 2018. Corporate issues accounted for 18 per cent of the total this year compared with 12 per cent last year. The average deal size fell as there were fewer jumbo sovereign deals this year. A total of 220 issues accounted for the total $77 billion raised compared with 191 issues for $85 billion in 2017.

At mid-December, the total return on Barclays GCC bond index was a small gain of +0.03 per cent compared with a loss of -2.93 per cent on the wider emerging market USD bond index. The GCC’s outperformance was facilitated by several positive developments during the year – the key one being the decision by JP Morgan to include the sovereign and quasi-government bonds from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, KSA and UAE into its widely followed emerging market bond index (EMBI Index) from January 2019 onwards. The inclusion of the bonds and sukuk market in the index will occur in a phased manner over nine months between January and September 2019. In the end, the GCC will account for 11 per cent of the total index.

In the GCC, activity in the primary market, liquidity in the secondary market and general changes in the credit quality of the issuers – all are impacted by the level of oil prices. Driven by continued global growth and discipline around production levels, oil prices followed an ascending trajectory in the first three quarters of this year which in turn helped boost sentiment on GCC bonds. There were more positive changes to credit ratings and outlooks than negatives during the year.

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Bahrain’s stretched public finances had been a concern for some time. Even though some support from Saudi Arabia was always expected, investors panicked after the Bahrain government failed to complete a funding exercise in March and April. The eventual announcement of a $10 billion aid package from neighbours KSA, Kuwait and the UAE adequately negated the default risk which otherwise could have had material detrimental impact on regional markets. In a similar light, the constructive resolution of the Dana Gas default further stabilised investor sentiment of the region.

Looking ahead, the GCC bond market is expected to continue growing with local currency markets picking up pace. Unlike in the USD-denominated bond space, the UAE lagged behind its GCC neighbours in issuing local currency denominated bonds. In this regard, 2018 marked a big milestone, with the government announcing finalisation of the Federal Debt Law (FDL). Under the law, the UAE government is expected to establish a federal Debt Management Office, seek a credit rating and begin issuing bonds and sukuk soon. The FDL is expected to pave the way for the establishment of a dirham-based government yield curve which in turn will likely be soon followed by corporate issuances.

In 2019, the negative impact of rising US interest rates is expected to be counterbalanced by coupon collection. Potential fallout from ongoing trade tensions between the US and China on GCC bonds is likely to be mild and indirect. China is one of the largest importers of oil and any decline in China’s GDP growth may have repercussions for oil prices and the GCC’s oil revenues. That said, despite headwinds, we expect GCC bonds and sukuk to continue outperforming their emerging market peers in the coming months.

Anita Yadav is Senior Director and Head of Fixed Income Research at Emirates NBD, which is a member of The Gulf Bond and Sukuk Association.

Europe’s rearming plan
  • Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
  • Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
  • Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
  • Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
  • Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

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Teams

India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami

South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Kanye%20West
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The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

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How it works

1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground

2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water

3) One application is said to last five years

4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

Super 30

Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

No.6 Collaborations Project

Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.