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Even though it already houses nine UN Humanitarian Agencies, and over fifty other related international entities, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has ordered further expansion to Dubai’s International Humanitarian City. In these days of socio-political regional tensions, Dubai’s ruler wants to enhance operations and improve the management of relief projects.

A study by Propertyfinder Group has concluded that apartment investors will be getting better returns – as high as 9.0% – from Dubai’s newer and more affordable freehold areas such as Discovery Gardens, Silicon Oasis and Sports City. This is higher on average than the 7.5% levels to be found in The Greens and JLT and the lesser 6% expected returns from Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah. Traditionally, villa returns are lower and can vary with the likes of Arabian Ranches and The Springs returning up to 6.4%, more than double that of Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.

Already titleholder of the largest indoor theme park in the world, IMG Worlds of Adventure is to add a new centre – at 2 million sq ft, 33% larger than its existing facility. IMG World of Legends, with eight new attractions, will be built adjacent to the current park and be connected by a state-of-the-art sky bridge.

This month will see the launch of Al Futtaim’s immersive show, combining the three elements – water, fire and light. The entertainment forms part of a US$ 409 million redevelopment project, within Dubai Festival City, and will use 30 fountains, surround sound and giant aqua screens to spectacular effect.

Kleindienst, the developer of The Heart of Europe on Dubai’s The World, has awarded a US$ 1.3 billion contract to three companies – JK Bauen Building Contracting, Sino Great Wall International Engineering Co Ltd and Wuchang Ship Building Industry Group Co Ltd. The development encompasses a cluster of six islands.

This week, the second Rove hotel, a 270-key property, opened its doors in Deira City Centre. The hospitality brand – a JV between Emaar Properties and Meraas Holding – expects to add ten hotels, with 3.7k rooms, before Expo 2020.

There has been no letup for Dubai’s hospitality sector with another month of declining returns. October has witnessed falls across the board with occupancy down 2.0% to 78.0%, average daily rates (ADR) by 9.8% to US$ 208 and revenue per available room (RevPAR) by 11.6% to US$ 162. Over the first ten months of the year, the supply growth of 5.8% has trekked marginally above the 5.6% demand curve.

Dubai Investments is expanding its local realty portfolio, with two projects – the US$ 817 million Mirdif Hills project and phase 3 of Green Community West. It also has plans for a US$ 109 million business centre in Fujairah, an investment park in Saudi Arabia and mixed-use industrial and business parks in Africa.

Following a recent agreement, DP World will hold a 55% stake, with the balance being with Canadian pension fund manager, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, in a US$ 3.7 billion investment vehicle. The fund will invest in ports and terminals worldwide, with 75% allocated for existing assets and the balance for greenfield sites. The Dubai firm has also opened Peru’s first smart logistics centre in DP World’s Callao Port that handles 1.4 million TEUs.

It was a busy week for Emaar Properties The developer has overseas operations in several locations, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Its current portfolio in the former is over US$ 2.9 billion and the company will be actively looking at expanding operations there. Meanwhile, Emaar Middle East has launched its third project in its Jeddah Gate – a community that will house 2k residential units and 230k sq mt of office space. It also plans several hotels under its homegrown Vida Hotels and Residences brand.

Emirates National Oil Co is planning to add a further 54 service stations prior to 2020, as part of its growth strategy. ENOC will also expand its Jebel Ali refinery that will see capacity up 50% to 210k bpd, along with a 19km jet fuel pipeline connecting it with Al Maktoum Airport.

It is reported that Emaar Properties has agreed a US$ 327 million settlement with Orient Insurance following the New Year’s Eve fire at its Address Downtown Hotel. The fire was caused by an electrical short circuit on a spotlight.

Dubai-based Gulf Navigation, along with two Chinese shipping companies, is looking at its expanding shipbuilding and repair operations in Khorfakkan and Fujairah. These eastern coast ports are the world’s second leader for ship refueling and bunkering.

There was a minor improvement in November’s Emirates NBD UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index with a 0.9 month on month hike to 54.2. Output growth in UAE’s non-oil private sector dipped 0.8 to 59.8, as output prices fell for the 13^th straight month, whilst growth in new orders jumped from 53.2 to 56.4.

According to the Minister of Economy, HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, the country’s economy is expected to grow by 3.4% next year, compared to the 3.0% forecast for 2016. Over the past decade, UAE’s GDP has grown threefold from just US$ 139 billion to US$ 490 billion by year end. Inflation is expected to nudge slightly higher from 2.3% to 2.5%. Meanwhile the IMF sees the country’s current account surplus improving from 2015’s US$ 19 billion (equivalent to 5.4% of GDP) to US$ 29 billion (7.3%) this year.

Following October’s shareholders’ agreement to raise its capital by US$ 409 million, Emirates Islamic Bank has now listed and traded the rights issue at US$ 0.10 per share.

The DFM opened Sunday at 3361 and was 198 points higher to close the week at an impressive 3559 level by Thursday (08 December 2016). Volumes, on the last day of trading, were higher at 1.104 billion shares, valued at US$ 401 million, (cf 916 million shares for US$ 330 million, the previous Wednesday). Over the week, bellwether stocks, Emaar Properties traded higher by US$ 0.16 to US$ 2.02, whilst Arabtec was also US$ 0.02 higher at US$ 0.37.

After a 10.2% hike the previous seven days, this week saw Brent Crude holding on to recent gains nudging US$ 0.31 higher to US$ 53.89. Having shed 7.7% the previous week, gold continued its downward trend, just US$ 3 lower, to close on US$ 1,172 at Thursday’s (08 December 2016) close.

The Kremlin has agreed to a US$ 11.3 billion offer by Qatar and commodities trader Glencore to purchase 19.5% of oil giant Rosneft. Maybe the Trump presidential election has seen a lesser risk of such deals going sour, as commercial relations improve between Russia and the western world.

There was mixed October news for the regional airlines – with IATA reporting increased cargo traffic but a slowing down in the rate of passenger demand. ME air fright demand was up 9.2% (globally 8.2%) as capacity rose by less than half at 4.2%. On the flip side, ME carriers saw a 7.0% hike in passenger demand – its slowest pave in 18 months – as capacity grew at the higher level of 10.0%. Consequently, load factors dropped 2.0% to 70.1% – its lowest October level in a decade.

The Competition and Markets Authority has fined two pharmaceutical firms – Pfizer (US$ 106 million) and distributor Flynn Pharma (US$ 7 million) – for overcharging the NHS by a whopping 2,385%. The CMA indicated that an overnight price hike in September 2012 saw a100 mg pack of a drug known as Epanitin jump from US$ 3.56 to US$ 85.05, before dropping to US$ 68.04 in May 2014. Having spent US$ 2.5 million on the drug in 2012, the NHS forked out US$ 63 million a year later.

Reports indicate that the scandal-ridden Malaysian state investment fund, 1MDB, is planning to repay the US$ 6.5 billion owed to Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC). It appears that the fund is to swap assets (perhaps land in Penang?) for financing by a Chinese source.

An increasing number of South Korean conglomerates are being pulled into the massive corruption scandal surrounding the President Park Geun-hye. Hyundai Motors, Samsung and six other entities have faced lawmakers who are investigating that millions of US$ have been “donated” to funds operated by Choi Soon-sil, a close presidential confidante, in exchange for favours.

With a 28% premium on Friday’s share price, Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure has made an unsolicited US$ 5.4 billion offer to acquire Australian energy firm Duet Group. CKI, owned by billionaire, Li Ka-shing, would have to obtain formal approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Board Review. Earlier in the year, it had a joint US$ 7.4 billion bid, with China’s State Grid Corp, for Ausgrid rejected by the FIRB, citing security concerns.

Over the past four years, Sony has sold more than 50 million PlayStation 4 consoles, reaching a sales peak during the Black Friday week ending 27 November 2016. However, this figure is small fry when compared to past sales of PlayStation (157 million units), Nintendo (154 million) and Gameboy (118 million). However, the recently released PlayStation 4 Pro has already reached 370 million game sales.

The Canadian conglomerate, Brookfield, is reportedly buying a share in Greenergy – a fuel supplier that delivers 18 billion litres of fuel, equivalent to 25% of UK’s road usage. The company, 34% owned by Tesco’s pension fund‎ and 16% by co-founder, Andrew Owens, is believed to be worth about US$ 625 million.

Having being accused by some EU officials of avoiding almost US$ 1.1 billion in tax through the use of a Luxembourg loophole, McDonald’s is set to move its non-US tax base to the UK. The food giant dismisses such claims and has indicated that it has paid US$ 2.5 billion in EU tax over the past five years. The new international holding company will see the creation of 5k new jobs and its profits will be liable to UK corporation tax which is said to be cut by 3% to 17%.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, still 73% owned by the taxpayer, has settled with three of the five creditor groups suing it for compensation. The claims refer to the bank’s dubious actions in 2008, when it misled investors to buy into a US$ 15 billion fund raising scheme to shore up the bank after its US$ 61 billion acquisition attempt for ABN Amro failed.

Once again the worrying state of the European banking system has been highlighted because of high levels of non-performing loans, reduced profitabilities and continuing legal claims for past scandalous behaviour. The good news is that the average NPL (non-performing loan) ratio for assessed banks has improved from 6.5% to 5.4% by mid-2016. However, the results from some countries are of major concern with NPL ratios of Greece (47%), Portugal (20%), Italy (16.4%) and Spain (6%). The questions are how the Eurocrats have allowed this situation to arise in the first place and what can they do when the inevitable happens – banks go under?

There are indications that the Italian government may request US$ 16 billion from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to help prop up its rotting banking system. Furthermore, the faltering government may also pump in US$ 2.2 billion to take a major stake in Monte dei Paschi, one of many of the country’s struggling financial institutions.

Following news that the Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, was to resign after he had lost a constitutional referendum, the euro fell on Monday to its lowest level – 1.05 to the US$ – since March 2015. It later clawed its way back to 1.08 before closing on Thursday a tad over 1.06.

In a desperate move to prop up the ailing euro, ECB president Mario Draghi has extended his monthly QE programme a further six months beyond March 2017, but has reduced the stimulus package by US$ 21 billion to US$ 63.4 billion. To date, the ECB has pumped in a massive U$ 1.84 trillion and this, along with ultra low interest rates, has not worked – with the 19-country bloc still in the economic doldrums. There is no doubt that the next year is pivotal for the future of the euro currency (in its present state) and of the eurozone.

The latest Japanese PMI data shows that the Japanese service sector continues to improve in November with a 51.8 reading, compared to 50.5 a month earlier. Furthermore price inflation expanded to a two-year high as output at service firms grew at its fastest rate since January.

As new domestic orders are on the rise, along with a surge in exports (following sterling’s “devaluation”), the recent slump in UK manufacturing may have turned a corner – in the short-term at least. A hike in oil prices should see increased activity from that sector but if inflation levels begin to rise next year then this will have a negative impact on the economy.

The impact the financial service sector has on the UK finances can be gleaned from a City of London report that estimates that it contributes 11.5% of the country’s tax receipts, equivalent to US$ 89 billion. Furthermore it employs 3.4% of the UK workforce – 1.1 million – with an average remuneration of US$ 40k. Any move away from the City, post-Brexit, will have far-reaching consequences.

Ministers still have to sign off a second review of Greece’s bailout programme, before further funds can be released, but have gained some interim relief in the form of longer repayment periods and lower rates. There is some dispute between the eurozone and the IMF, with the latter preferring a “haircut” – an actual reduction in the balance owing – a move opposed by the likes of Germany.

Although there was a chance of the Reserve Bank of Australia cutting rates, it held back so as not to unsettle the patchy labour and housing markets. The September quarter’s inflation data – growing at an annual 1.7% rate – was better than expected but still down on the RBA’s target of 2 – 3% but would normally have been the catalyst for a rate cut. The September quarter saw a 0.5% contraction in the country’s GDP – its weakest reading since the GFC and ending five years of continuous growth. The main drag factors are a marked slowdown in business spending and government cutbacks.

Softbank, which this year has already acquired UK’s ARM Holdings for US$ 32 billion and Vodafone’s Japanese operations for US$ 20 billion, is to invest US$ 50 billion in US businesses. In a meeting with President-elect Trump, the Japanese tech firm’s chief executive, Masayoshi Son, added that this would result in 50k jobs in the USA. In October, the Japanese company announced the establishment of a new US$ 100 billion fund, SoftBank Vision Fund, 45% of which would be financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. This is one major step for Japan – a country that once ruled the tech world but has been left far behind.

Improving economic data in November sees many US indicators heading north. The ISM’s non-manufacturing index rebounded, gaining 2.4 to 57.2, whilst its manufacturing PMI was 1.3 higher at 53.2. Latest US figures indicate that unemployment has dropped to a 9-year low with jobless rates falling 0.3% to 4.6%, with 178k new jobs being created in November. However, earnings have grown at less than expected, with the annual increase of 2.5% down 0.3% from the October return. With recent indicators pointing to a 3.2% 2016 growth, a rate hike next week is all but inevitable.

Friday’s 45^th National Day celebrations saw the UAE rulers gather for the opening of Dubai’s US$ 136 million museum on the Union House site of the original signing of the UAE charter in 1971. The other five rulers, Their Highnesses Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi (Sharjah), Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi (Ras Al Khaimah), Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuami (Ajman), Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi (Fujairah) and Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla (Umm Al Quwain) joined Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in the celebrations. Congratulations!

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved plans for a Dubai Street Museum that will showcase the history, cultural values and identity of the emirate. Both local and international artists, who will use many of Dubai’s buildings for their works, will carry out the five-year project.

Damac’s latest launch – the Italian-inspired Akoya Manarola – will comprise 3-bedroom villas, with starting prices of US$ 627k.

Nshama has announced that it expects to deliver 2k affordable housing units, equivalent to 40% of its current pipeline, in 2017. What impact this will have on the mid-tier market, from both a rental and buying perspective, remains to be seen.

Schon has launched a US$ 872 million development that will result in the introduction of 2.6k hotel rooms in Dubai Investment Park. It is expected that the 21 nine-storey buildings, including 52 restaurants and cafes along with a shopping mall, will be completed prior to Expo 2020. The developer has been beset with problems arising from its proposed 2005 Dubai Lagoon project which had been expected to see 4k apartments on a man-made lagoon. (To date, 200 apartments are awaiting utility connections and its first residents due to move in in Q1 2017).

Due to open in Q1 2017, near to Dubai Autodrome, First Avenue will have 70 retail and 15 dining outlets, along with a 4-star, 150 key Park Inn by Radisson. The developer, Saudi Arabia’s Al Tawfeeq for Development and Investment, has already signed up Carrefour as an anchor tenant for its US$ 136 million development.

Cayan Group is to introduce a Rotana-managed hotel apartment tower that will have more than 700 units comprising a range of studio – 3 bedroom residences. The Saudi-based group has established a US$ 272 million realty development fund, with Shuaa Capital, and has already developed Cayan Cantara tower, also located on Umm Suqeim Road. Construction will start next month, with Shapoorji Pallonji International appointed the main contractor.

Aswaaq, owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, is planning a further two supermarkets – in Nad al Sheba and Al Quoz2. Over the next five years, a further 50 supermarkets and stores are scheduled to open.

The new annual Dubai Land Department’s official 2017 rent index holds a few surprises with 1-bedroom rentals falling in Jumeirah Village (18.8%), Downtown (between 8.7% to 15.8%), Palm Jumeirah (3.3% to 16.7%), International City (7.9% to 11.0%) and Silicon Oasis (10.0%). It appears that the biggest “casualty” is Dubai Marina with rents down by as much as 22.0%, with Arjan bucking the trend with the biggest increase.

Its Chairman, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, has confirmed that Al Habtoor Holding has divested all of its shares in HLG Contracting. The company was established in 2007 when Al Habtoor Engineering, founded in 1970, merged with the Australian-controlled developer, Gulf Leighton.

Depa posted a US$ 8 million profit for the first nine months of 2016 (compared to a loss of US$ 2 million a year earlier) on flat revenue of US$ 322 million. The Dubai-based interiors contractor is slowly recovering from the regional slowdown in the construction industry.

Dubai International reported October passenger traffic, at 6.4 million, was 2.7% higher, compared to the same month in 2015, with the YTD figure of 69.4 million up 6.8%. Rather surprisingly, with the soft opening of DWC, cargo traffic still heads northwards with October recording a year on year hike of 9.5% to 236k tonnes, as YTD figures were up 2,8% to 2.1 million tonnes.

Flydubai launched its first double daily service outside of the GCC by opening up Bangkok. The budget airline, which operates the latest Boeing 737s, expects to tap into this burgeoning market with transit passengers from its current European routes and medical tourists – including the 150k from the UAE alone.

Dnata has bought 50% of a Toronto’s cargo and handling operations from GTA Aviation for an undisclosed price. Now the world’s fourth largest air services company, this was the Dubai’s company first foray into the Canadian market.

December petrol prices are heading south, after jumping 5.3% in November, with Special 95 now retailing 5.6% lower at US$ 0.460.

A new JV has been signed between Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, the luxury online fashion retailer, and the Mohamed Alabbar-controlled Symphony Investments which will hold a 40% stake. The JV will open a distribution centre in Dubai and will initially manage the group’s current regional on-line stores. This week, the Emaar chairman also announced that he will launch the first Arab social messaging app in Q1 2017 – as a potential competitor to WhatsApp.

It is reported that Saudi’s Public Investment Fund is to buy 50% in Adeptio, a Mohammed Alabbar company, which recently acquired a 67% stake in the Kuwait-based Americana for US$ 2.35 billion.

In a bid to tap into the “millenials” sector, the 47-year old Commercial Bank of Dubai is to launch a digital-only bank – CBD NOW. It aims to introduce simpler and more efficient practices for their customers who will be able to carry out all dealings via smartphone.

Takaful Emarat has seen its number of customers more than quadruple to 400k since 2013, with the main driver being the introduction of universal health cover in the emirate. Now the Dubai-listed Sharia-compliant insurer is planning local acquisitions to increase its market share, as intense competition between the country’s 61 insurance companies pushes profits southwards; indeed the 29 listed insurers moved into a loss scenario of US$ 29 million compared to a profit of US$ 234 million in 2014. This week, Union National Bank and Orient Insurance Company formed a Dubai-listed JV.

The DFM opened Sunday at 3324 and was 37 points higher to close the shortened week on 3361 by Wednesday (30 November 2016). Volumes, on the last day of trading, were marginally down at 916 million shares, valued at US$ 330 million, (cf 926 million shares for US$ 324 million, the previous Thursday). 30% of Wednesday’s trade was attributable to DXB Entertainments. Over the week, bellwether stocks, Emaar Properties regained the previous week’s loss, up US$ 0.05 to US$ 1.86, whilst Arabtec was down US$ 0.01 at US$ 0.35, despite the appointment of Australian, Hamish Tyrwhitt as its new Chief Executive.

After a 7% hike the previous seven days, this week saw even better news for Brent Crude, with a 10.2% surge to US$ 53.58. Gold headed in the other direction, down 7.7%, or US$ 98, to close on US$ 1,175 at Thursday’s (01 December 2016) close. For the month, Brent was up 10.2% (US$4.96) whilst the yellow metal shed US$ 98 to US$ 1,175 from its opening month balance of US$ 1,273.

The surge in oil prices was a direct result of OPEC’s Wednesday decision to cut the cartel’s daily supply by 1.2 million bpd, with a likely 600k bpd reduction by non-OPEC oil producers.

If gold is struggling, the same cannot be said of base metals, including zinc that has hit nine-year highs of US$ 2,970 per tonne (and 70% higher so far YTD) and lead up 9.8% in November and by 40% so far this year.

RBS, still 73% state-owned, was the main bank to fail a Bank of England stress test that sets to see whether the country’s top seven financial institutions would survive a global economic crash. The bank has subsequently submitted an updated version that sees it reducing many of its “higher-risk credit portfolios” and settling several lawsuits.

The WTO has given the US government just 90 days to stop a special tax exemption for Boeing that is being considered an illegal subsidy. The claim by the EU relates to a 2013 Washington state tax cut to the plane maker for manufacturing 777X wings locally; the world body considered this would distort global trade, as Boeing would be required to use local rather than imported materials.

The US trade deficit in October widened by US$ 5.5 billion to US$ 62.0 billion, month on month, as imports rose 1.1% to US$ 184.1 billion, with exports falling 2.7% to US$ 122.1 billion.

Despite the market’s apparent disdain of the Trump election, the US economy is on the rise with a Q3 growth rate of 3.2% – a welcome improvement on the 1.9% recorded in Q2. These figures for the world’s largest economy, together with inflation nudging higher and employment levels strengthening, point to an almost certain rate hike in mid-December. Two indicators to watch are consumer spending – up 2.8% – whilst business was down 4.8%.

With an economy that has contracted 25% since the GFC, Greece is still awaiting the final go ahead from the troika to release further bailout funds. It seems that the creditors are still not convinced that the Tsipras’ government – in relation to reforms to the labour markets and privatisation – is doing enough.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has revised upwards its global economic growth forecasts to 3.3% next year and 3.6% in 2018. However, the 35-country OECD area will see less growth at 2.0% and 2.3% respectively – with the US growth at 2.3% and 3.0% and the faltering euro area at a modest 1.6% and 1.7%.

The latest voice raising concern about the property bubble in Australia is Bank of Queensland chairman, Roger Davis. In October, the Reserve Bank indicated that off plan sales were showing signs of over –supply on the back of tighter regulations for overseas purchasers and some valuations being lower than contract prices. Residential prices, especially in the eastern states, are in a bubble and when the economic climate changes then there could be major repercussions. Any increase in interest rates (which is inevitable) would be the main drag factor to start a housing meltdown but a further slowdown in economic growth, a fall in consumer confidence or a drop in disposable incomes will have adverse knock-on effects.

Two BRIC members came out with varying Q3 results. India’s economy expanded by 7.3% but this was slightly down on analysts’ 8% expectation. Meanwhile, Brazil slumped further into recession shedding 2.5% year on year with the good money on a third year of recession in 2017.

A leading indicator of Japan’s future economic prospects fell 0.6 to 100.3 in September. The country’s consumer prices fell for the eighth straight month in October to 0.4% year on year, on the back of sluggish consumer spending and low energy prices. For the past four years, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has failed to pull his country out of a deflationary cycle spiraling downwards – and this despite an aggressive QE policy and negative interest rates. His 2.0% inflation target seems a distant pipedream and the days must be numbered for this Daydream Believer!

A case of déjà vu from the good old days before the GFC – with prices starting at US$ 76k, it was no wonder to witness buyers queuing in Dubai South overnight to acquire units in The Pulse cluster’s second release; the initial launch in October saw 300 units snapped up within minutes of release.

According to a recent Cluttons report, the Dubai realty sector slipped a further 2.6% in Q3 and 7.4% year on year; since its peak in Q4 2008, the market has slumped by 26.7%. The firm expects a further slowdown in the rate of decline, before stabilisation sets in within a year.

In contrast, a JLL / Dubizzle study reported that both average sales and rental prices, across a dozen popular communities, were stable in Q3 but had dropped 4%, year on year. The study concludes that the market has probably reached the bottom of its cycle and expects a recovery to start in 2017, on the provisos of an economic improvement and that a lid is kept on the supply pipeline.

Driven by activity in the affordable housing market sector, JLL estimates that 2017 residential price rises in 2017 could jump up by 5%. The consultancy indicated that Q3 prices were off by 2.6% (and 15% lower than at its 2014 peak) and that a further 1% decline in Q4 will happen before the market turnaround next year.

This week, Dubai Properties launched its Rahaba Residences in Dubailand – its first foray into the affordable housing market segment, targeting junior to mid-level employees of large entities. The concept is an entirely new approach to traditional staff housing.

The affordable house section received a further boost with Nshama announcing another phase of its Town Square project – Noor Townhouses. With prices starting at US$ 324k, the development – including 3/4-bedroom units – will be built in three separate communities.

There is no stopping Azizi Developments who have just launched their ninth development since June 2016! Located in Al Furjan, Azizi Farishta will contain 284 studio / 1-2 bedroom units and should be completed by 2018.

Nakheel have officially opened its impressive Boardwalk – an 11 km, 6 mt wide, walkway located on Palm Jumeirah’s protective breakwater. Access is via 14 separate points and attractions will include a wide range of food trucks.

It seems that Emirates are having last minute technical problems with the new RR engines for its upcoming delivery of A380 jets, five of which are scheduled to be here in December. Its current portfolio of 85 planes is powered by Engine Alliance, a joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. RR won a US$ 9.2 billion deal to provide engines for the airline’s next fifty Airbus jumbos.

The new 62km Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, which has cost US$ 572 million, is expected to open later this month. The 8-lane highway is a godsend for the inter-city commuters and should see improved travel time and reduced accidents.

Work has started on the US$ 8.1 billion Dubai Wholesale City project, with Saeed Transport & Building Contracting Company carrying out excavation work on the 135 million sq ft site. Due to become the largest global wholesale hub, the development will tap into the US$ 4.3 trillion sector, with the aim of increasing the country’s share in this burgeoning market.

In October, UAE gross bank assets increased by 5.1%, year on year, to US$ 693.2 billion. Other key indicators headed in the same direction with total deposits, at US$ 409.5 billion, up 4.7%, and loans and advances higher by 5.9% to US$ 428.8 billion.

Alibaba Cloud has announced that it plans to open four new global data centres, one of which will be in Dubai and the other three in Australia, Europe and Japan. The Chinese offshoot of the Alibaba Group becomes the first such provider of cloud services in the region.

Reportedly hoping to make its first ever profit, by 2018, Careem, the Dubai-based on-line car booking service, is in negotiations to raise a further US$ 300 million for expansion purposes; this follows a US$ 60 million funding last year. The company is facing increased competition from the likes of Uber and Indian start-up, Ola.

The Bank of Singapore has become the latest overseas financial institution to acquire a licence to open in the DIFC; until now, it has had a representative office in the emirate for the past 20 years.

The DFM opened Sunday at 3310 and nudged 14 points higher to close on 3324 by Thursday (24 November 2016). Volumes, on the last day of trading, were marginally down at 926 million shares, valued at US$ 324 million, (cf 1 billion shares for US$ 354 million, the previous Thursday). Over the week, bellwether stocks, Emaar Properties lost US$ 0.01 to US$ 1.81, whilst Arabtec was up US$ 0.02 at US$ 0.36.

After a turbulent three weeks, in which Brent shed over 10% of its value, this week it has moved back into positive territory, up 7.0% to US$ 48.61. Gold headed in the same direction, up 4.6%, or US$ 56, to close on US$ 1,273 at Thursday’s (24 November 2016) close.

Embattled Volkswagen has announced global job losses totalling 30k (or 4.9%) of which 23k (equivalent to 19.2% of its local base workforce) will be in Germany. The carmaker has indicated that there will be no enforced retrenchments and that a further 9k “new future proof” jobs would be created; the cuts are expected to save VW US$ 3.9 billion a year by 2020.

Australian building materials supplier, Boral, is set to pay US$ 2.6 billion in a cash deal to acquire Headwaters Incorporated. With the Utah-based company generating revenue US$ 1.1 billion (with profits at US$ 218 million), Boral is expecting to see a doubling of its present US business.

The extent the luxury goods sector is suffering from the global slowdown can be gauged from the disappointing Q3 results of two of the leading US chains. Abercrombie & Fitch’s shares plunged 13.9% on news of a 6% fall in revenue to US$ 822 million, with profits sinking 80.0% to a mere US$ 8 million. Gap saw revenue down 2.0% to US$ 3.8 billion, as profit slumped 17.7% to US$ 204 million; its shares dropped 13.1% on the day.

JP Morgan has been fined US$ 264 million by the Department of Justice for hiring the offspring of highly placed Chinese officials to gain business in that country. In many cases, the 100 children, so selected as interns, were unqualified but, because of their parents’ connections, managed to generate extra revenue for the bank of US$ 100 million.

Chinese video streaming service PPTV has agreed a 3-year, US$ 700 million deal with the EPL to broadcast English matches. Suning, the parent company of the Chinese video streaming service, already has a controlling interest in Inter Milan. China’s President Xi Jinping is keen for the country to become a major footballing nation within the next decade.

The Saudi government has released US$ 10.7 billion in outstanding payments owed to private companies; this represents 22.9% of the estimated total outstanding of US$ 46.7 billion and a further payment of US$ 26.7 billion is expected in the coming weeks. Any payment will free up companies’ cash flows, to an extent, and see payroll backlogs cleared. One company that may not benefit from the government’s initiative is the indebted Mohammad Al Mojil Group – a construction company that overextended itself and has not traded on the Saudi bourse since July 2012.

In October, Japan reported disappointing trade figures with a trade surplus of US$ 4.5 billion – lower than market expectations of US$ 5.5 billion. Both exports and imports headed downwards on an annual basis – by 10.3% and 16.5% respectively.

With the biggest gain since 1982, US October home construction shot up by 25.5% to a seasonally adjusted 1.3 million, whilst new construction is at its highest level in over nine years. The main drivers behind this boost are a 75% hike in apartment construction and a 10.7% increase in single-family homes.

It was no surprise to see President-elect Donald Trump quitting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal – signed by 12 countries and encompassing 40% of the global economy. Many critics of the TPP – with aims of boosting growth and expanding economic ties – were not happy with the secret deal’s apparent bias towards big business. Maybe China will see an opportunity and step in to fill the gap?

China’s largest online travel firm, Ctrip, has acquired its Scottish equivalent, Skyscanner, in a US$ 1.75 billion deal. The travel search company allows travellers to compare different sites for their vacation requirements. Ironically, the news comes one day after the Chancellor’s promise of US$ 500 million to help local digital start-ups avoid being acquired by overseas predators.

On Monday, Wall Street closed on record highs with the Dow reaching 18,956, S&P at 2,198 and the tech-focused Nasdaq at 5,369. By Thursday, all three indices had moved upwards again to 19,083, 2,205 and 5,381 respectively.

It seems that corruption is rife everywhere. Swedish media has reported that Ericsson officials shelled out millions of US$ in bribes at the turn of the century. It is estimated that US$ 150 million and US$ 89 million payments were sent to Malaysian and Polish bank accounts, via Jersey. Details of these two and other kickbacks – to politicians and senior civil servants – have been forwarded to the US Securities and Exchange Commission by a former executive, turned whistleblower.

Early indications point to Australia’s GDP shrinking for a fourth straight quarter. If this trend were to continue, then undoubtedly the lucky country will have its first recession in nearly 30 years. Major concerns are that house prices have surged 40% over the past three years whilst commodity prices, although nudging higher, will not result in increased mining investment. There is every chance that whilst interest rates creep up elsewhere, Australia will buck the trend and see further cuts.

The EU meritocracy is beginning to run out of excuses for their dismal financial management of the bloc’s economies. Not happy with blaming Brexit, impending trade wars, possible interest rate hikes, increased inflation risks and a strong dollar, their latest effort is political uncertainty. Brussels need not look any further to understand why the populace is turning against them – if they cannot see now wait another nine months after the people in France, Germany, Italy, Spain have voted! Unfortunately, the time for much-needed fiscal and structural reforms has long passed.

Tomorrow sees Black Friday – a day when UK shoppers are expected to spend US$ 2.5 billion – followed by Cyber Monday, with on-line sales expected to reach US$ 4.8 billion. However, this year, several big names – Asda, Ikea and Next – will be noticeably absent. The fall in sterling will have a detrimental effect on this year’s returns.

With its latest sale, the UK government now holds less than 8% of Lloyds Banking Group Plc’s share – a bank that it bailed out, after the GFC, with a US$ 20.3 billion cash injection. Notwithstanding interest and inflation, the government is in front, having already received US$ 21 billion.

It comes as no surprise to see ex-Chancellor, George Osborne picking up over US$ 400k for delivering speeches in the US, including US$ 175k for JP Morgan two speeches and US$ 100k from Palmex Derivatives last month. To some, it may seem that the boys are looking after themselves yet again.

In the government’s first budget statement since Brexit, former Remain campaigner and now Chancellor, Philip Hammond, painted a gloomy picture of the UK economy. With such a weak economy, there were no major highlights, with little funds available for the public spending purse or tax cuts. Indeed, as the government will need to borrow more, (“only” US$ 151 billion) it is expected that the national debt will rise from March’s 81.3% to 90.2% by March 2018 whilst growth for the next two years is forecast to be 1.4% and 1.7%. There is every chance that Mr Hammond, who preached that the economy would take an immediate massive hit, if Brexit went through, and is presumably still utilising the same advisers, is again heading Down The Wrong Way!

The big local financial story of the week was the launch of the region’s largest e-commerce platform, the US$ 1 billion Noon.com, headed by Emaar chairman, Mohamed Alabbar. Saudi’s Public Investment Fund will finance 50% of the project whilst several unnamed local investors will cover the balance. With the principal aim of becoming the dominant online retail portal, the website goes live in January, with 20 million line items for sale.

Sporter.com has seen Investment House Gulf Capital buy a controlling stake in its online sports and nutrition supplements business; no figures were made available. The Dubai-based retailer is a major player in the local nutrition supplements market.

Souq.com has launched its online hypermarket – Souq Superstore. The Dubai-based e-retailer is hoping to tap into the expanding online groceries sector as a recent Morgan Stanley Research study expects such shopping to grow from 21% to 34% this year.

Dubai’s car booking service Careem has signed an agreement with Apple that now allows users to book rides by using Siri.

Work has started on Shapoorji Pallonji’s first ever project in Dubai – the 45-storey Imperial Avenue residential tower. The US$ 350 million development in Business Bay will house 424 apartments, ranging in price from US$ 400k (1-bedroom) to US$ 3.1 million (5-bedroom penthouse).

In their fifth deal, the Intercontinental Hotels Group has agreed with Al Futtaim to manage its 520-key Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City, slated to open within a year.

Q3 saw an upturn for Dubai hotels as profit per room moved up 7.8% to US$ 62 – compared to a 13.0% year on year fall in H1, when both occupancy levels and average room rates dipped. By reducing staff numbers (payroll costs down 3.0%) and cutting other costs, the industry saw September profit per room nudge 0.4% higher. However, sobering October figures showed falls across the board, with Occupancy down 2.0% to 77.9%, ADR by 10.3% to US$ 209 and RevPAR by 12.0% to US$ 163. Furthermore, supply jumped 6.0% as demand only increased by 3.9%, year on year – never a good sign!

DWC reported Q3 passenger numbers up by 161% to just 192k (boosted by flydubai moving over some services), with cargo actually falling 1.6% to 216k tonnes. The airport’s capacity is expected to quintuple to 26 million passengers over the next twelve months; whether demand is up to this supply level remains to be seen in November 2017

When it comes to diamond exports, it is interesting to note that the UAE is the third largest behind India and the EU. Recent figures indicate that the country accounts for 15% of global trade, valued at US$ 84 billion.

Mubarak Rashid al Mansouri, the Central Bank governor, is concerned that local commercial banks are in danger of missing out on utilising dollar trades, via the US banking system. It seems that several international banks are becoming increasingly reluctant to deal with Gulf financial institutions, as regulations and due diligence on local customers become more onerous.

With three major indicators higher – education, clothing and utilities, up 7.17%, 5.68% and 4.59% respectively – it was no surprise to see Dubai’s October annual inflation rate higher at 2.67%. However, month on month, the rate decreased by 0.13%.

HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri estimates that the country could attract over US$ 70 billion in industrial investments over the next decade. The Minister of Economy reckons that this would push up the sector’s current 16% contribution of the GDP to 25%.

The Ministry of Finance announced that its e-dirham payment system has generated revenues of US$ 1.6 billion in the first nine months of the year, with transactions surging 20% to 15 million. Over the past nine months, there were 40.6% more e-cards issued, totalling 2.25 million.

For the second time in four years, the DFM-listed General Investment Company (GGICO) is trying to restructure its US$ 643 million loan portfolio; in 2012, it completed a similar US$ 763 arrangement. The current deal involves a creditors’ settlement of US$ 573 million, with the balance of US$ 70 million, relating to a 30 September outstanding balance.

Although troubled construction firm, Drake & Scull, posted another quarterly loss of US$ 13 million, Q3 was a major improvement on the US$ 239 million deficit recorded in the same period last year. The improvement came on the back of almost doubling its revenue to US$ 237 million and cutting costs, including impairment provisions.

In a similar vein, Arabtec has followed the same route in Q3 with revenue up 24.8% to US$ 545 million and a reduction in the quarterly loss from US$ 257 million to US$ 61 million. Its current backlog amounts to US$ 5.4 billion.

Union Properties posted a 70.8% plunge in Q3 profits to US$ 9 million, as YTD surplus sank 7.7% to US$ 40 million. Both Q3 and YTD income headed south – by 22.9% to US$ 69 million and US$ 231 million respectively. The developer’s assets were marginally higher at US$ 2.3 billion.

Shuaa Capital reported another quarterly loss of US$ 10 million as revenue climbed 42.0% to US$ 13.3 million. YTD, the Dubai-based company has reported losses of US$ 31 million, compared to US$ 8 million a year earlier. Abu Dhabi Financial Group has received approval to purchase 48.36% of Shuaa Capital from Dubai Banking Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Group. No financial details were made available but the deal should be finalised shortly.

AMAN (Dubai Islamic Insurance and Reinsurance Co) returned to profit of US$ 227k in Q3, after posting a loss of US$ 310k in the same period last year; however, YTD, the company headed into negative territory with a loss of US$ 894k, following a profit of US$ 1.61 million last year.

Having started off the year so well, Amlak Finance posted a massive fall in Q3 profits to US$ 2 million from US$ 15 million in the same 2015 period, as revenue from land sales dried up.

Last Thursday, Amanat was the dominant trade on the local bourse with 182 million shares, jumping 6.9% to US$ 0.25. On Sunday, it announced a 236% hike in Q3 profits to US$ 4 million (YTD – US$ 10 million). The Dubai-based healthcare and education company has seen YTD asset balances rise by 77.7% to US$ 100 million, including investments in Saudi Arabian healthcare operator Sukoon International and a 16.34% stake in Madaares, a UAE K-12 primary and secondary education provider.

Following on from the Bank of China in March, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has become the second Chinese financial institution to become a settlement bank for the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange. The world’s largest bank by assets also joins Bank of Baroda, Emirates NBD, HSBC and Standard Chartered as a settlement bank for the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange.

The DFM opened Sunday at 3274 and regained all the 24 points (and more) it lost the previous week, to close on 3310 by Thursday (17 November 2016). Volumes, on the last day of trading, were on par with last week’s impressive return of 1 billion shares, valued at US$ 354 million, (cf 1 billion shares for US$ 327 million, the previous Thursday). More than 33% of trade involved Drake & Scull which finished on US$ 0.14. Over the week, bellwether stocks, Emaar Properties lost US$ 0.01 to US$ 1.82, whilst Arabtec was down US$ 0.02 at US$ 0.34.

Having shed 9.2% of its value over the past fortnight, Brent crude continued its downward trend falling 0.7% (US$ 0.42) to close on US$ 45.42; meanwhile gold headed in the same direction, down 3.9%, or US$ 49, to close on US$ 1,217 at Thursday’s (17 November 2016) close.

Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has become the first Russian minister to be accused of taking a bribe. He has been charged with taking a US$ 2 million bung for giving favourable treatment to Rosneft, as it planned to take a 50% share in another state oil company, Bashneft.

There are reports that an IPO is in the offing for the 4-year old messaging app Snapchat that could net the Californian firm, with more than 100 million daily users, up to US$ 25 billion. This would not be a bad return, considering that founder Evan Spiegel rejected a US$ 3 billion offer from Mark Zuckerberg in 2013.

With a 2.2% year on year sales increase for the 12 weeks ending 06 November, Tesco, with 28.2% of the UK grocery market, was the only one of the Big 4 to record a jump in revenue – as Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s posted declines of 5.0%. 2.4% and 0.7% respectively. The two German “upstarts” – Aldi and Lidl – saw their sales growth up 10.2% and 6.1%, their slowest rate since 2011.

Although revenue fell by 2.2% to US$ 4.32 billion, Europe’s biggest budget airline, Ryanair posted a 7.0% jump in H1 profits to US$ 1.25 billion, as passenger numbers surged 12.0% to 65 million and load factor increased by 2% to 95%. Its rival, easyJet, fared worse with a 28.0% slump in annual profit to US$ 619 million – its first profit decline since 2009.

Rakuten has signed a 4-year shirt deal with Barcelona which will net the Catalan club US$ 58 million a year; the Japanese on-line firm will take over from Qatar Foundation / Qatar Airways, who have been involved for the past four years. This is icing on the cake for Messi & Co, as Nike have signed a 10-year sponsorship deal that will bring in US$ 165 million a year from 2018.

On the other hand, Manchester United will be set to lose US$ 28 million a year in the likely event of not qualifying for next year’s Championship League. Its 10-year US$ 930 million Adidas sponsorship deal has a clause that payments would be cut by 30% for non-qualification. Furthermore, the club’s Q1 profit fell 76.0% to US$ 1.5 million on US$ 149 million revenue. More worryingly, its net debt has jumped 15.3% to US$ 418 million.

McLaren Technology Group is 50% owned by Mumtalakat, the Bahraini SWF, with the balance equally shared by Mansour Ojjeh and its long serving boss, Ron Dennis. At a time when the two shareholders wanted the Englishman to stand down, he has seemingly arranged a US$ 2 billion Chinese takeover bid for the group that owns the F1 team. Mr Dennis’s 36-year association with McLaren has come to a sticky end as he was voted out this week.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd held its annual Singles Day on 11 November and saw a massive 32% surge in sales for that one day to US$ 17.7 billion, having reached the US$ 1 billion level within the first five trading minutes!

British American Tobacco has had its US$ 47 billion offer to acquire Reynolds American (with brands such as Camel, Philip Morris and Newport) rejected; BAT already owns 42% of the US tobacco company. Last year, Reynolds paid US$ 25 billion when it took over Lorillard but had to divest US$ 7.1 billion of assets – including the Kool, Salem and Winston brands – to Imperial as part of the deal.

Samsung Electronics will go ahead with an US$ 8 billion all cash offer for the US auto parts maker Harman, so that it can gain entry into the fast-growing driverless vehicle technology sector; this market is expected to reach US$ 100 billion by 2025.

It appears that Toyota will settle a US$ 3.4 billion US claim from owners of 1.5 million cars for inadequate rust protection involving Tacoma compact pickups, Tundra full-size pickups and Sequoia SUVs. Last week, the world’s largest carmaker saw its H1 profits nosedive 24.3% to US$ 9.1 billion, as revenue dipped 7.2% to US$ 125.7 billion.

Finally – some good news for Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as Q3 GDP rose, for the third consecutive quarter, to an annual rate of 2.2%. The main driver was higher exports, helped by a falling yen thus making goods, from the world’s third largest economy, cheaper on the global stage. However subdued domestic demand still remains a major problem that is holding back further economic growth, along with keeping inflation at historically low levels (with latest indications being that the 2% target will not be reached until Q1 2019).

It will come as a surprise to some local observers that the spectre of non-payment is not unique to Dubai companies. Australian research by its Ombudsman (a good idea here?) estimates that up to US$ 20 billion is owed in unpaid invoices by large companies and government agencies to SMEs; this has a direct impact on the livelihoods of over 5 million Australians. Further study shows that 90% of all small companies fail because of poor cash flow (often because of non-payments). The average SME is owed US$ 10k and spends 12 days a year chasing outstanding invoices.

Latest figures from China indicate a 6.1% year on year hike in October industrial production – no change from a month earlier. Other indices showed fixed asset investment at 8.3% and retail sales touching 10%.

Since taking power in 2014, it is estimated that Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has “found” US$ 18.5 billion of “black” money, including US$ 9.9 billion in his recent amnesty. There is a good chance that he has hit the jackpot with his latest attempt to curb further corruption by withdrawing the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes (representing 85% of the total currency in circulation). Within three days, over US$ 30 billion of old notes have been returned to banks.

There is going to be some hardship considering that it is estimated that 86.6% of all business transactions are in cash. However, this drive against corruption should boost the country’s economy particularly when the size of India’s black economy could represent over 20% of its GDP. (Perhaps coincidentally, ex-state minister G Janardhana Reddy has managed to splurge US$74 million on his daughter’s recent wedding – a novel way to get rid of redundant cash).

October financial data points to the US economy continuing to grow as retail sales, aided by strong vehicle transactions (up 1.1%) and increased demand for building materials, were up 0.4% month on month and 4.3% for the year. There is every likelihood that the mid-December Federal Reserve policy meeting will announce the first and last interest rate hike for 2016.

A good indicator that all is not well in the eurozone was the release of Q3 data from its powerhouse, Germany, which reported slower growth at 0.2%, compared to 0.4% and 0.7% in the previous two quarters. Weaker exports and marginally higher imports, along with the now ubiquitous Brexit “excuse”, were the main drag factors. Similar disappointing results are bound to follow from many other members of the bloc but it is expected that Germany will have slower growth than the eurozone average of 0.3%. Political uncertainty – along with elections in Netherlands (March), France (May), Germany (September) and maybe Italy – will have an adverse impact on 2017 growth which will do well to reach 1.3%.

The EU has also warned eight members, that they are at risk of breaking its rules because of excessive budget deficits that should not be more than 3% of GDP. None of the eight has been fined for this, even though Spain and Portugal have posted deficits of 5.1% and 4.4% of their GDPs.

Although October UK inflation slipped 0.1% to 0.9%, the recent upward trend will continue and could treble to 2.7% by this time next year. One of the consequences of rising inflation could result in a hike in interest rates, although there is the chance of a slowdown in consumer spending as spending power dips with rising inflation levels. UK’s Q3 unemployment rate of 4.8% is at its lowest since Q3 2005

Google is yet another multinational that still has faith in post Brexit UK, as it plans to open a new London HQ that could see 3k new jobs for the City.

For the past eight years, interest rates have been close to zero and the Bank of England has been getting much flak for the situation. Now The Canadian-born Mark Carney, the Bank of England governor, has accused politicians and commentators of “massive blame deflection”. He reiterated that the cause of the low rates is beyond any decisions taken by the central bank and was “a symptom of the situation”. However, their current policies are evidently ineffective and patently not working.

Mr Carney was also one of many that predicted dire economic times if the UK were to vote for Brexit. Much of the data points to the fact that these pundits were wrong – the latest sees October retail sales growth, up 7.4% year on year and 1.9% month on month, at a 14-year high. There is Something Going Wrong.

The RTA confirmed that the US$ 545 million Dubai Water Canal will officially open on schedule next month. Final touches, including refilling the canal with seawater, along with completing the walkways and pedestrian bridges, are being made. There are also four hotels, a shopping mall, 450 outlets and luxury housing planned around the waterway.

Select’s 14^th project in Dubai Marina, located close to Bluewaters Island, was launched this week. The 31-storey building, costing US$ 123 million, will house studios, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments, with prices starting at US$ 156k, US$ 245k and US$ 354k respectively.

The latest launch from Damac is Akoya Selfie – a 3-bedroom villa project, with prices starting at US$ 327k. Located in a golf community, it will form part of the company’s Akoya Oxygen master development.

As intimated in an earlier blog, August hotel occupancy rates for UAE hotels – up 2.1% to 73.4% – provided the only good news for the industry. In contrast, all other indicators headed south, including average daily room rates down 8.8% to US$ 126 and revenue per available room by 6.8% to US$ 93.

Rolaco Group has signed a management agreement with Intercontinental Hotels Group to open a 402-key Holiday Inn in Dubai Science Park. The hotel will open in 2019 and will then bring the number of Dubai hotels, under the IHG umbrella, to 30 – 19 of which are already open.

Al Habtoor Motors has signed a partnership deal with Wrightbus International which will soon see the New London Routemaster on Dubai’s highways.

Gitex Shopper started on Saturday and the World Trade Centre Halls will busy for a week, as major high street retailers offer a multitude of bundle deals and discounts to make up for a sluggish 2016.

As part of Dubai’s strategy to increase the number of medical tourists to 500k by 2020, the Dubai Health Authority has announced the building of the 1k-bed Rashid Medical Complex. The 10-storey building will house 250 wards, out-patient clinics and a 5-star hotel.

Global Student Accommodation has teamed up with Singapore-based SIG to acquire a US$ 900 million UK student property portfolio from Oaktree Capital Management. The deal for the Dubai-based student accommodation provider includes the acquisition of nine properties, with 7.15k beds, and a further five (3.63k beds) in the pipeline. The company also bought The Student Housing Company and will use this brand for all its UK student accommodation halls.

With August passenger traffic up 6.1% to 7.7 million (a new monthly record), Dubai International has already welcomed 52.3 million this year – and is well on the way to surpass last year’s total of 78.0 million. Aircraft movements, at 33.8k, were 2.7% lower but YTD is up by 2.9% to 276.2k. As expected, monthly cargo was down by 3.1% to 207.4 tonnes but still 2.4% higher at 1.68 million tonnes YTD.

August air cargo demand in the Middle East fell 1.8% year on year its slowest pace in over seven years, as capacity rose by 6.9%. Sluggish global growth is seen as the main drag factor as trade opportunities weaken and local airlines are meeting increased competition from European airlines on Europe-Asia routes.

Work has started on the DP World Solar Programme that involves the installation of 88k solar panels on all its Dubai buildings. By the end of next year, it is expected that phase 1 will provide clean energy for 3k residences and on completion will save 22k tonnes of carbon and supply 40% of JAFZA’s energy requirements.

Aramex and Australia Post have formed a JV e-commerce company, with the Dubai-based logistics firm owning 60% of the Singapore-located entity, Australia Post’s Star Track International; acquisition costs were US$ 48 million.

As part of its July US$ 3 billion bond programme, MAF Holding listed a US$ 300 million bond tap on Nasdaq Dubai. The funds will be used for expansion purposes in the group’s different sectors including malls, retail, leisure and residential.

Drake & Scull is trying to reach an amicable settlement to its long-standing 9-year, US$ 53 million dispute with Lamar Investment and Real Estate in Saudi Arabia. The Dubai contractor has a 20% direct and 10% indirect stakes in the Lamar Towers project.

The DFM opened the week at 3474 and shed 3.5% (80 points) to close on 3354 by Thursday (06 October 2016). Volumes, on the last day of trading, were down to 200 million shares, valued at US$ 88 million, (cf 310 million shares for US$ 119 million, the previous Thursday). Bellwether stocks, Emaar Properties lost US$ 0.05 to US$ 1.88, with Arabtec also down by US$ 0.02 at US$ 0.38.

Having climbed US$ 2.92 last week, Brent crude continued heading north, climbing US$ 3.27 to US$ 52.51; gold tanked, sinking US$ 75 to US$ 1,251 at Thursday’s (06 October 2016) close.

Apple Inc has lost a major battle in which a Texan court has ordered it to pay VirnetX Holding Corp US$ 302 million for using its patented internet security technology, without approval. This is the second case between the two companies, with the same court finding in favour of Apple in a US$ 626 million August 2015 hearing.

Following reports that Disney and Alphabet were not going to bid for Twitter, a 10-year old company that has never turned in a profit, its shares fell nearly 19% in early Thursday trading. The online social networking service’s shares were trading at just over US$ 20, giving it a market value of US$ 14.3 billion.

This week’s US$ 6 billion asset management merger between the US Janus Capital and UK’s Henderson Global Investors will see the new entity managing US$ 320 billion in assets. The all share deal will also result in a cost cutting exercise and improvement in the companies’ overall global presence.

A 4-month Indian tax amnesty, which ended last month, saw 64.3k people declare US$ 9.5 billion in undeclared assets and income. The Modi government approached 700k suspected tax evaders earlier in the year, advising them that if they came clean and paid a penalty no further action would be taken by the authorities. Unfortunately, this represents a fraction of the total of “black” money, locked in overseas tax havens, thought to be at least US$ 500 billion.

Despite the marked slowdown in the global economy, Macau has bucked the trend and reported September gambling revenue of US$ 2.3 billion, up 7.4% – its second consecutive month of growth, following two years of decline.

Latest PMI figures from China indicate a firming in the manufacturing sector, with a September reading of 50.4 whilst new export orders saw a month on month rise of 0.4 to 50.1. The good news is that the economy is growing but this has to be tempered with the fact that there is too much industrial overcapacity, its debt levels are far too high, a property bubble will inevitably burst and the authorities still have no idea how to cope with the burgeoning shadow banking sector.

US construction data for August proved disappointing reading with a surprising month on month spending deficit of 0.7%; both private and public construction expenditure fell – by 0.3% and 2.0% respectively.

As its August imports (1.2% higher at US$ 228.6 billion) rose more than its exports (0.8% higher at US$ 187.9 billion), the US trade deficit widened by US$ 1.2 billion to US$ 40.7 billion; market expectations pointed to a narrowing of the gap to US$ 39.0 billion. Despite this hiccough, GDP growth is expected to reach 2.5%.

The September UK Markit manufacturing PMI indicates a rise from 53.4 to 55.4 – the biggest monthly jump and highest reading in over two years. The expansion was most noticeable in output and new orders and will make a positive impact on Q3 GDP, as well dampening hopes of a rate rise this year. Following PM May’s assertion that she would trigger Article 50 by next March (and the almost inevitable ‘hard’ Brexit), sterling has sunk to its lowest level in over 30 years, trading on Thursday at US$ 1.261, whilst the FTSE 100 surged above the 7000 level.

Meanwhile, the 19-country eurozone continues to struggle with the latest PMI for manufacturing and services sliding 3 notches to 52.6. Sluggish growth, near zero inflation levels and political uncertainty among the big players – Germany, France, Spain and Italy – has not helped consumer confidence. The end result is that the bloc will be lucky to see GDP expansion of more than 1.5% this year and even less in 2017.

From the above table, there has been YTD growth in all 16 indicators except for sterling and the CSI300. Commodites have performed spectacularly – probably indicating that the worse is behind us. Interestingly, most of the growth has occurred in Q3, except for Brent and copper which both headed south, whilst all other commodities showed impressive growth levels. Maybe after all, we are not on the Eve of Destruction!