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MENA Sunday Morning Business Update

The document provides a weekly round-up of business news from the Middle East North Africa region. Key highlights include: - Emirates NBD exchanged $332.45 million worth of notes under a programme to extend maturities. - The UAE agreed with retailers to fix prices for 400 products until the end of 2011 to curb rising inflation. - The UAE's non-oil foreign trade increased 28% year-over-year in February 2011.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
8 views3 pages

MENA Sunday Morning Business Update

The document provides a weekly round-up of business news from the Middle East North Africa region. Key highlights include: - Emirates NBD exchanged $332.45 million worth of notes under a programme to extend maturities. - The UAE agreed with retailers to fix prices for 400 products until the end of 2011 to curb rising inflation. - The UAE's non-oil foreign trade increased 28% year-over-year in February 2011.

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MENA-­1

 SUNDAY  MORNING  ROUND-­UP  


   
EuroMoney  is  currently  conducting  its  Middle  East  Research  and  Best  Managed  Companies  Survey.  The  
EuroMoney  Survey  runs  until  24  June  2011.  To  vote  for  EFG  Hermes,  go  to  
[Link]/MiddleEast2011    
   
Thank  you  for  your  support.  
   
UAE  
ENBD  exchanges  USD332.45  million  of  notes  under  programme  
UAE  to  fix  prices  of  400  products  
UAE  considers  buying  Chinese  assets  
UAE’s  non-­oil  trade  up  28%  Y-­o-­Y  in  February  2011  
UAE  attracted  USD15  billion  in  FDI  in  2010  
   
Kuwait  
Kuwait  allows  companies  from  GCC  states  to  open  local  branches  
   
Qatar  
Ras  Girtas  plant  to  start  operations  on  31  May  2011  
QatarGas  delivers  first  LNG  shipment  to  Petrochina  
Qatar’s  Mowasalat  plans  IPO  early  in  2012  
   
Bahrain  
Moody’s  lowers  Bahrain’s  credit  rating  to  Baa1  
   
Agenda  
   
Qatar  
Wed  1  June  >>  Al  Khaliji  Commercial  Bank  BOD  meeting  
Sun  5  June  >>  Mannai  Corporation  BOD  meeting  
   
UAE  News  
   
ENBD  exchanges  USD332.45  million  of  notes  under  programme  
Emirates  NBD  (ENBD)  [[Link]]  said  that  it  exchanged  USD332.45  million  worth  of  notes  in  an  offer  to  holders  
of  its  subordinated  step-­‐up  floating  rate  notes  due  in  2016,  according  to  an  emailed  statement  on  26  May  2011.  
The  new  notes  will  pay  a  margin  of  150  basis  points  over  three-­‐month  USD  LIBOR,  the  statement  said.  Holders  
were  invited  to  offer  to  exchange  their  existing  notes  for  new  senior  notes  with  a  maturity  of  31  May  2018.  
(Bloomberg)  
   
Emirates  NBD:  AED3.80,  Rating:  Buy,  FV:  AED4.50,  MCap:  USD5,754  million,  EMIRATES  UH  /  [Link]  
   
UAE  to  fix  prices  of  400  products  
The  UAE  said  that  70  retailers,  including  Carrefour  and  Spinneys,  agreed  to  fix  the  prices  of  400  products,  the  
Ministry  of  Economy  said  in  an  emailed  statement  on  26  May  2011.  The  measure  will  start  on  1  June  2011  and  
so  far  is  set  to  continue  until  the  end  of  the  year.  This  is  the  latest  set  of  several  measures  by  the  UAE  to  fight  
rising  global  commodities  prices.  In  March,  the  UAE’s  retailers  cut  prices  of  many  food  and  essential  
commodities  by  up  to  40%  for  one  month.  In  addition,  on  10  March  2011,  the  UAE  said  that  it  will  subsidise  rice  
and  bread  from  1  April  2011  until  end  of  the  year.  These  supports,  which  help  control  food  prices,  are  taken  into  
account  in  our  1.6%  inflation  forecast  for  2011  (Bloomberg,  Reuters,  Monica  Malik)  
   
UAE  considers  buying  Chinese  assets  
The  Central  Bank  of  the  UAE  may  buy  Chinese  assets  to  diversify  its  holding  of  foreign  reserves,  the  National  
reported  citing  a  person  familiar  with  the  matter.  Central  bank  officials  held  talks  with  Chinese  officials  about  
the  possibility  of  investing  in  Chinese  assets.  (Bloomberg)  
   
UAE’s  non-­oil  trade  up  28%  Y-­o-­Y  in  February  2011  
Preliminary  statistical  data  of  the  UAE  Federal  Customs  Authority  (FCA)  showed  that  the  UAE’s  non-­‐oil  foreign  
trade  jumped  to  AED70.9  billion  in  February  2011,  up  28%  Y-­‐o-­‐Y.  Imports  increased  24%  Y-­‐o-­‐Y  to  AED45.5  
billion,  exports  rose  54%  Y-­‐o-­‐Y  to  AED7.3  billion,  and  re-­‐exports  were  up  29%  Y-­‐o-­‐Y  to  AED18.1  billion.  
(Emirates  24/7)  
   
UAE  attracted  USD15  billion  in  FDI  in  2010  
The  UAE  attracted  nearly  USD15  billion  in  foreign  direct  investment  (FDI)  in  2010,  more  than  triple  the  FDI  
inflow  recorded  in  2009,  the  minister  of  economy  was  quoted  as  saying  on  26  May  2011.  (Zawya  Dow  Jones)  
   
Kuwait  News  
   
Kuwait  allows  companies  from  GCC  states  to  open  local  branches  
Kuwait’s  minister  of  commerce  and  industry  has  made  a  resolution  allowing  companies  from  other  member  
states  of  the  GCC  to  open  branches  in  Kuwait,  Kuwait  News  Agency  reported  on  27  May  2011.  The  companies  
should  be  wholly  owned  by  GCC  nationals  and  should  be  registered  in  one  of  the  GCC  countries  for  at  least  three  
years.  (Zawya  Dow  Jones)  
   
Qatar  News  
   
Ras  Girtas  plant  to  start  operations  on  31  May  2011  
Qatar’s  Ras  Girtas  plant,  which  has  total  investment  costs  of  QAR14  billion  (USD3.84  billion),  will  start  
operations  on  Tuesday,  31  May  2011,  Qatar  News  Agency  (QNA)  reported.  The  plant,  located  in  Ras  Laffan  
Industrial  City,  has  a  production  capacity  of  about  2,730  megawatts  (MW)  of  electricity  and  63  million  gallons  of  
desalinated  water.  The  plant  is  the  largest  electricity  generation  project  in  the  country  and  the  region,  according  
to  QNA.  Ras  Girtas  Power  Company  (RGPC),  which  operates  the  plant,  is  bound  by  a  25-­‐year  contract  to  supply  
its  output  to  state-­‐run  Qatar  General  Electricity  and  Water  Corporation,  known  as  Kahramaa,  the  company’s  
Chief  Executive,  Faisal  Al  Siddiqi,  was  quoted  as  saying.  RGPC  will  submit  a  price  offer  for  the  coming  electricity  
and  water  expansion  project,  at  Kahramaa’  request,  and  if  its  offer  wins,  it  will  increase  its  output  by  an  
additional  550  MW  of  electricity  and  about  35  million  gallons  of  desalinated  water,  Al  Siddiqi  added.  RGPC  is  
60%  owned  by  Qatar  and  the  remaining  stake  is  held  by  international  partners.  The  60%  stake  is  divided  into  
45%  held  by  Qatar  Electricity  &  Water  Company  ([Link])  and  15%  by  Qatar  Petroleum.  (Zawya  Dow  Jones,  
Abid  Riaz,  Nadine  Hassouna)  
   
Qatar  Electricity  &  Water  Company:  QAR145.00,  Rating:  Buy,  FV:  QAR183.20,  MCap:  USD3,984  million,  QEWC  QD  
/  [Link]  
   
QatarGas  delivers  first  LNG  shipment  to  Petrochina  
QatarGas  announced  that  it  has  delivered  its  initial  cargo  of  liquefied  natural  gas  (LNG)  to  Petrochina’s  first  LNG  
receiving  terminal  at  Rudong,  Jiangsu  Province,  the  company  said  in  an  emailed  statement.  (Bloomberg)  
   
Qatar’s  Mowasalat  plans  IPO  early  in  2012  
Qatari  taxi  and  bus  company,  Mowasalat,  announced  that  it  is  in  early  talks  with  banks  about  floating  its  shares  
on  the  Doha  bourse  in  early  2012  in  what  could  be  the  first  initial  public  offering  (IPO)  in  Qatar  since  developer,  
Mazaya  Qatar,  went  public  in  early  2010,  Zawya  Dow  Jones  quoted  two  people  familiar  with  the  matter  as  
saying.  No  one  at  Mowasalat,  the  largest  taxi  company  in  Qatar,  which  also  runs  limousine,  school  and  public  bus  
services,  was  immediately  available  to  comment.  Mowasalat,  also  known  as  The  Transport  Company  of  Qatar,  is  
100%  owned  by  the  government.  The  group  has  a  fleet  of  400  limousines,  and  2,500  buses  and  taxis,  as  of  late  
August  2010.  (Zawya  Dow  Jones)  
   
Bahrain  News  
   
Moody’s  lowers  Bahrain’s  credit  rating  to  Baa1  
Moody’s  Investors  Services  lowered  Bahrain’s  credit  rating  by  one  level,  with  a  negative  outlook.  Bahrain’s  
sovereign  rating  was  reduced  to  Baa1  from  A3,  the  rating  service  said  in  an  emailed  statement.(Bloomberg)  
   
[Note  –  EFG  Hermes  is  not  responsible  for  the  accuracy  of  news  items  taken  from  other  media.]  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Our  investment  recommendations  take  into  account  both  risk  and  expected  return.  We  base  our  fair  value  estimate  on  a  
fundamental  analysis  of  the  company’s  future  prospects,  after  having  taken  perceived  risk  into  consideration.  We  have  
conducted  extensive  research  to  arrive  at  our  investment  recommendations  and  fair  value  estimates  for  the  company  or  
companies  mentioned  in  this  report.  Although  the  information  in  this  report  has  been  obtained  from  sources  that  EFG  
Hermes  believes  to  be  reliable,  we  do  not  guarantee  its  accuracy,  and  such  information  may  be  condensed  or  incomplete.  
Readers  should  understand  that  financial  projections,  fair  value  estimates  and  statements  regarding  future  prospects  may  
not  be  realized.  All  opinions  and  estimates  included  in  this  report  constitute  our  judgment  as  of  this  date  and  are  subject  to  
change  without  notice.  This  research  report  is  prepared  for  general  circulation  and  is  intended  for  general  information  
purposes  only.  It  is  not  intended  as  an  offer  or  solicitation  with  respect  to  the  purchase  or  sale  of  any  security.  It  is  not  
tailored  to  the  specific  investment  objectives,  financial  situation  or  needs  of  any  specific  person  that  may  receive  this  report.  
We  strongly  advise  potential  investors  to  seek  financial  guidance  when  determining  whether  an  investment  is  appropriate  to  
their  needs.  No  part  of  this  document  may  be  reproduced  without  the  written  permission  of  EFG  Hermes.  
   
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