Saudi Parallel Market Nomu Sees Record-Breaking Surge in IPOs: A Sign of Economic Diversification?
The Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) Parallel Market (Nomu) saw extraordinary growth in new initial public offerings (IPOs) during the last year with 32 new businesses being welcomed to the market. This surge in IPOs in Saudi Arabia is indicative of the country’s efforts to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenue. Let’s take a closer look at this development and what it means for investors. Nomu – Parallel Market Primary Goals and Objectives The Saudi Parallel Market Nomu was established with the aim of achieving two main objectives. An initial priority is to give companies an additional avenue …
Tackling Export Bottlenecks in Egypt
Current Export Status in Egypt Egypt has had a negative trade balance for years, and increasing exports is a cornerstone of narrowing the current trade deficit. The initial devaluation and then floatation of the exchange rate in 2016 helped in improving the trade balance as a % of the GDP from -14.5% in 2015/16 to -12.8% in 2018/19. Yet, till now export competitiveness remains weak and export proceeds are well below those of peer countries & their historical average. Exports of goods and services in 2021 (11.1% of GDP) remain well below the level achieved in 2011 (20.5%). The current …
Egypt is Facing a Foreign-Exchange Crunch
What’s Happening in Egypt? Why Is Egypt’s Currency Falling Faster than Previous Projections? It all comes down to 4 main reasons why the Egyptian currency is falling harder than ever; Growing Financing Gap, Rising Debts, Foreign Outflows, & New IMF loan) According to Fakhri Al-Feqi, head of the parliamentary planning and budget committee, Egypt’s financing gap amounts to about $25bn, of which $15bn are installments and debts due during the current year, and the rest is from the deficit in the balance of payments, which is largely due to the weakness of domestic savings, which represent only 13% of GDP. …