Download a PDF copy of this week’s economic commentary here. Markets Most global equity markets closed the week in the red, as inflation worries added to investors jitters,... Read More
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The article titled “Climate goals: a priority for business growth” was written for the Dubai World Trade Centre, and published... Read More
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Recent & Upcoming Events
Jun 17: “Stability Redefined- Who Authors the Future?”: e-Policy Circle 7 webinar (invite only)
Jun 15: Discussion on Lebanon with Carnegie Middle East Center (invite only)
Jun 4: Panelist at OMFIF webinar on Sovereign debt restructuring in emerging markets
May 22: Speaker at the YPO Lebanon webinar
May 17: Panelist at Sheikh Rashed Virtual Majlis on the “Effects of COVID19 on the UAE’s economy”
May 13: Panelist at NUS Middle East Institute webinar “The GCC’s Double Dilemma: Tackling COVID-19 and Falling Oil Prices”
May 6: Panelist at the CEBC webinar “A Pandemic, Oil Price Collapse, A Recession: Is the Future still Green?”
Publications / All
The MENA-OECD Working Group on Investment and Trade‘s 2018 meeting was... Read More
The commencement speechat the Universite St. Joseph was delivered by... Read MoreIn the Media
Dr. Nasser Saidi’s comments appeared in an Arab News article titled “Positive IMF assessment seen as vote of confidence in Saudi reform strategy” on 9th May 2021. The comments are posted below. Independent economists were not surprised by the IMF’s positivity. Nasser Saidi, former chief economist at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), told Arab News: “The country has been proactive in rolling out a spate of reforms despite the pandemic and lower oil prices. The public health system has proven to be resilient.” Saidi, the former DIFC chief economist, said: “Saudi Arabia’s fiscal prudence has to be complimented, in addition to the efficient tapping of debt markets and structuring... Read More
Dr. Nasser Saidi spoke to Al Arabiya’s Lara Habib on 19th Apr 2021 about Oman’s VAT rollout and its impact on the economy. Oman is starting long overdue fiscal adjustment and reform aiming to diversify sources of government & diminish the high dependence on oil & gas revenue, with the introduction of VAT with a 5% rate (but many exemptions). If effectively & efficiently implemented, the VAT should generate about $1 billion (OMR 400mn) in revenue, about 1.5% of GDP and helping to raise Non-Oil Revenue from 11.4% in 2020 to about 17.2% of Non-Oil GDP in 2021. The onset of fiscal reform will lead to an improvement of Oman’s... Read More
Dr. Nasser Saidi joined Manus Cranny on the 18th of April, 2021 as part of the Bloomberg Daybreak: Middle East edition, discussing the state of the US economy bond markets brushing off strong US data, inflationary pressures, views on cryptocurrencies/ Bitcoin/ SPACs as well as Chinese Q1 GDP and emerging market valuations. Watch the interview below – Dr. Nasser Saidi joins from 05:30 till 19:10. The original link to the full episode: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2021-04-18/-bloomberg-daybreak-middle-east-full-show-04-18-2021-video A quote from the interview also appeared in a news article: “At the global level, you have both China and the U.S. growing fast. That’s driving markets across the globe,” Nasser Saidi & Associates president and founder... Read More
Dr. Nasser Saidi spoke to Al Arabiya Al Hadath on 2nd April 2021 about Lebanon’s subsidies and international reserves. Watch the interview (in Arabic) below from 1:31:40 onwards:
Dr. Nasser Saidi’s comments appeared in an Arab News article titled “Markets jump on Shareek investment package” on 31st March 2021. The comments are posted below. Nasser Saidi, a Middle East economics expert, said the intention was to “jump start” the Saudi economy in the wake of the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This would be a massive increase in investment that will likely modernize and upscale infrastructure, including digital. As proposed, it should be strongly supportive of non-oil growth, increase overall productivity and lead to job creation for Saudi’s young population,” he added. Saidi added that the move from dividends to investment could be a positive one: “This... Read More
