The double impact of the US rating downgrading and the euro-zone debt crisis risk damaging the Gulf's recovery from the global downturn.
Video: Closing market wrap up
A look at closing markets on August 8 2011
Video: Financial freefall in focus
The potential effects of the US credit downgrade on the Middle Eastern markets explained.
[ More from Sound & Vision ]
Fiscal woes in the developed world are already taking their toll on the price of oil, the region's biggest export.
Oil prices slid more than 3 per cent during trading yesterday. The September Brent contract on London's futures exchange was down to US$105.77 a barrel.
"The impact is likely on oil prices because of major revisions to the US and other global growth forecasts which could hit demand," says Alia Moubayed, an economist at Barclays Capital. "We expect more volatility in oil markets but not as sharp a drop as in the global downturn of 2008 and 2009."
Income from oil production and exports represents a large part of the region's overall economy. Big spending on job creation, infrastructure and other projects have been underpinned by higher production and oil-price increases this year. The UAE and Saudi Arabia both have room to manoeuvre to reduce capacity without impacting prices, say analysts.
The Institute of International Finance estimates prices would have to drop to an average of $84 a barrel for the UAE and $85 a barrel for Saudi Arabia to approach the break-even price needed to balance national budgets. Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have large accumulated revenue surpluses to fall back on if needed.
The smaller producers of Oman and Bahrain, however, are more vulnerable to volatility in prices, analysts say. But an easing of global growth also risks buffeting other areas of regional economies.
Financial Fallout: More on the global economic chaos
Oil tumbles as gold tops $1,700 World stocks tumbled yesterday as investors fretted about the rate of global growth after Standard & Poor's cut its rating for the US on Friday. Read article
Investment advice never more timely Worried about the dwindling value of your stock portfolio after the market mayhem? Advisers say stay calm. Read article
Gulf businesses will find it harder to get funding Big businesses in the Gulf face rising borrowing costs as a result of the US and euro zone troubles. read article
Mixed effect of dollar decline for small businesses in UAE Small businesses that import goods priced in foreign currencies fear they will suffer if the dollar declines sharply. read article
"Slower global growth would have a negative impact on non-oil international trade," wrote Khatija Haque, the GCC economist at Emirates NBD, in a research note. "Tourism, retail trade and investment could also be negatively affected by weaker consumer and business confidence. These sectors are key growth drivers for a small open economy such as Dubai."
Regional growth had been picking up this year, spurred by higher oil production and increasing activity in the non-oil sectors of the economy. The UAE's financial services and tourism sectors have also benefited from the Arab Spring unfolding in other parts of the region.
Events in the US and the euro zone may also impact government plans in the region to tap bond markets, either to raise fresh funds or refinance existing debt.
[ tarnold@thenational.ae ]
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
START-UPS IN BATCH 4 OF SANABIL 500'S ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
Saudi Arabia
Joy: Delivers car services with affordable prices
Karaz: Helps diabetics with gamification, IoT and real-time data
Medicarri: Medical marketplace that connects clinics with suppliers
Mod5r: Makes automated and recurring investments to grow wealth
Stuck: Live, on-demand language support to boost writing
Walzay: Helps in recruitment while reducing hiring time
UAE
Eighty6: Marketplace for restaurant and supplier procurements
FarmUnboxed: Helps digitise international food supply chain
NutriCal: Helps F&B businesses and governments with nutritional analysis
Wellxai: Provides insurance that enables and rewards user habits
Egypt
Amwal: A Shariah-compliant crowd-lending platform
Deben: Helps CFOs manage cash efficiently
Egab: Connects media outlets to journalists in hard-to-reach areas for exclusives
Neqabty: Digitises financial and medical services of labour unions
Oman
Monak: Provides financial inclusion and life services to migrants
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.5L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh129,999 (VX Luxury); from Dh149,999 (VX Black Gold)
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000