Global Scans · Middle East · Weekly Summary

• [New] More meaningful near-term support is expected to come from elevated capesize freight rates, which have returned to early June levels on the back of ongoing Middle East tensions, strong iron ore export volumes and Typhoon Dolphin reducing fleet availability. Westpac IQ
• [New] Despite the economic and geopolitical repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East, the broad metals and mining trajectory forecast by Wood Mackenzie in January has largely held. Metal Tech News
• Port authorities in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa represent an actionable investment opportunity for technology vendors willing to structure turnkey deployment contracts tailored to sovereign infrastructure programmes. Persistence Market Research
• PA Media reports forecasts have indicated that households could see their bills rise by another 4% to the equivalent of £1,729 a year, as the widened conflict in the Middle East sparked by Donald Trump's war on Iran continues to push up wholesale energy prices. The Guardian
• Middle East tensions appear to be re-escalating, which could risk higher oil prices and other associated side effects including fuel costs, inflation, and consumer demand. The Shop
• The Middle East and Africa are opening new opportunities through sovereign AI programs, smart city investments, and critical infrastructure protection work in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Mordor Intelligence
• Observers are monitoring geopolitical developments, especially any changes in OPEC's production policies or geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which could impact oil supply and demand dynamics. Crypto Briefing
• Geopolitical risk - particularly the Middle East conflict - is reshaping underwriting in real time. Aon
• The Middle East is projected to post the fastest regional CAGR at 14.45% thanks to sovereign-funded mega-venues aligned with Vision 2030. Mordor Intelligence
• In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), corporate partnerships can play an important role in helping startups scale by providing access to customers, industry expertise, and commercial opportunities. Hub71
• Fastest Growing Region: Middle East & Africa is identified as the fastest-growing region through 2033, fueled by improving birth rates and rising awareness of infant nutrition in the GCC countries. Persistence Market Research
• Global refining capacity additions are expected to remain concentrated in Asia Pacific and the Middle East through 2030, alongside rising petrochemical feedstock demand as industrialization progresses. Persistence Market Research
• The United States will begin to send personnel back to some diplomatic missions in the Middle East. Just Security
• A more supportive external backdrop, including easing Middle East risks and lower oil prices, should help reduce inflationary pressures and support household purchasing power. Fitch Solutions
• The spike in oil and gas prices, as a result of the Middle East conflict, has fuelled concerns that inflation will begin to rise further. Money to the Masses
• Even if yields stabilize or decline in the near term, the underlying risk factors that brought us here remain firmly in place: rising federal debt and an unstable Middle East that could trigger fresh spikes in energy prices - and inflation - at any moment. investing.com
• By 2040, hundreds of millions of additional people are expected to travel internationally, fuelled particularly by the expansion of middle classes in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. Travel Tomorrow
• The Middle East is forecast to become the fastest-growing Travel & Tourism region in the world between 2026 and 2036, with sector GDP expected to expand at an annual rate of 6.3%, reaching $605 billion by 2036. Hotel Online
• Fastest Growing Region: Middle East & Africa grows fastest through 2033, fueled by large-scale infrastructure and mega construction projects across Gulf economies. Persistence Market Research
• Fastest Growing Region: Middle East & Africa is the fastest-growing region, projected at a CAGR of 8.9%, fueled by rising Gulf disposable incomes, oud fragrance culture, and expanding luxury retail infrastructure. Persistence Market Research
• Middle East & Africa, the fastest-advancing region at 6.06% CAGR, gains from energy and mineral projects that lift off-road tire usage in deserts and open-pit mines. Mordor Intelligence

Last updated: 13 September 2026