Analyzing Middle East Equity Market Trends for 2026

Oct 2019 Walid Majdalani, Head of Investcorp Private Equity MENA company, lays out the attractive chances of investing in GCC Infrastructure, driven by the region's growth and government initiatives.

Diversification is accomplish a well balanced economy,, Diversity visions and strategies exist. The general Global EDI is composed of tracking.

For non-diversified nations, when cost of the commodity falls, there is a substantial decrease in government profits, public spending, existing account balance and worldwide reserves: more volatility. The (including significant product exporters, not restricted to just oil) over the, throughout 25 indications (consisting of 3 digital indicators). North America, Western Europe and East Asia Pacific countries top EDI scores over the years.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Even though structural reforms and diversity efforts undertaken by the GCC affected MENA's regional scores positively, it still lags five other local groups., with the top 10 countries having less than a 10-point distinction in ratings (implying the strength of diversification)., along with 4 upper-middle income (China, Mexico, Turkey and Thailand) and one lower middle-income country (India, ranked 20th, driven by its services export boom).

Amongst the e. countries ranked 51 to 70, the performance of Moldova, Indonesia, Armenia and Honduras stand out (when comparing 2024 vs 2000). years, offered sped up diversity strategies of lots of oil-exporting nations. posted a steady enhancement due to a mix of minimized dependence on fuel exports, lowered exports concentration and a change in the composition of exports.

How Economic Diversification Boosts Middle East Stability in 2026

with oil exporters having the most affordable ratings (though individual country-specific performance has varied gradually). Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan have readings of 100+ as does the UAE while Algeria and Kuwait are on the other end of the spectrum. Throughout all regions, the typical rating is the for both 2000 and 2024, and the greatest in The United States and Canada.

In 2024, the (China was among the leading ranked, while Mongolia's rating worsened compared to 2000)., but more to do with a "levelling up" at the bottom instead of an improvement among the leading countries. By comparing the (height of the blue box), least irregularity is seen in South Asia in 2000 and the most in the MENA region (with variance likely driven by the dichotomy within the region between the resource-heavy states (e.g.

Sub-Saharan African nations account for around one-third of the overall, followed by Latin America and the Middle East (the latter two together representing over 40% of the total). Including, there has been an (from 90.3 in 2000-04 to 92.6 and 92.3 in the 5 years pre- and post-pandemic ).

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

and ranked greater than others; UAE is up more than 45 locations in 2024 compared to 2000 while Qatar climbed 24; both Saudi Arabia and Oman rose 17 ranks throughout the duration. The caught or worse off nations are some parts of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa where structural change has actually stalled.

reveals a substantial increase in typical EDI ratings from 86.8 in 2000-04 to 92.6 in 2020-24, (up more than 10 points in the preliminary duration versus 2020-24). with UAE outperforming in the trade sub-index (supported by recent bilateral trade arrangements & non-oil exports push). vs its pre-pandemic reading (partly offered the rise in medium & state-of-the-art manufacturing information).

Navigating Middle East Stock Market Shifts for 2026

Its diversification metrics have stagnated, revealing the least enhancement in between the preliminary (2000-04) and last (2020-24) recommendation periods., despite the headwinds of OPEC+ production cuts. A robust non-hydrocarbon expansion was supported by the GCC's robust domestic demand (supported by a strong project pipeline and application) and strong services sector performance.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia clocked in a boost in non-hydrocarbon revenue, "mostly reflecting non-hydrocarbon tax base expansions and income collection performance improvements", according to the IMF. In the present geopolitical environment characterized by magnifying, it remains in the best interests of product dependent nations to diversify its export base, exports and trade partners.

Sub-Saharan African countries account for around one-third of the overall, followed by Latin America and the Middle East (the latter two together accounting for over 40% of the overall). Consisting of, there has actually been an (from 90.3 in 2000-04 to 92.6 and 92.3 in the 5 years pre- and post-pandemic ).

and ranked greater than others; UAE is up more than 45 places in 2024 compared to 2000 while Qatar climbed 24; both Saudi Arabia and Oman rose 17 ranks during the duration. The caught or worse off countries are some parts of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa where structural improvement has actually stalled.

Benefits of Scaling Industrial Projects across GCC

reveals a significant boost in average EDI scores from 86.8 in 2000-04 to 92.6 in 2020-24, (up more than 10 points in the initial duration versus 2020-24). with UAE outperforming in the trade sub-index (supported by current bilateral trade arrangements & non-oil exports push). vs its pre-pandemic reading (partly provided the surge in medium & state-of-the-art production data).

Its diversification metrics have actually stagnated, showing the least improvement between the preliminary (2000-04) and final (2020-24) reference periods., in spite of the headwinds of OPEC+ production cuts. A robust non-hydrocarbon expansion was supported by the GCC's robust domestic need (supported by a strong task pipeline and execution) and strong services sector performance.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia clocked in a boost in non-hydrocarbon revenue, "primarily reflecting non-hydrocarbon tax base expansions and earnings collection efficiency improvements", according to the IMF. In the current geopolitical environment defined by intensifying, it remains in the best interests of commodity reliant countries to diversify its export base, exports and trade partners.