Economy

Global Markets 2025: From Soaring Peaks to Sudden Crashes

Christiane Tager 17/10 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Markets economy stocks

Since January, major stock indices such as the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Euro Stoxx have shattered records. Fueled by surging optimism around artificial intelligence, global finance seems to be reliving its golden era. Yet beneath this spectacular rise, the ground is quaking. Every peak is followed by a dark day. In just hours, billions of dollars could ...

BDL Governor Holds Key Talks with IMF Officials in Washington

This is Beirut 16/10 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Central Bank of Lebanon Washington Middle East lebanon Karim Souhaid

The Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL), Karim Souhaid, held a series of high-level meetings in Washington with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to a statement issued by his press office on Thursday. Souhaid was accompanied by Deputy Governors Salim Shahine and Gaby Shnouzian, along with the Chairman of the ...

Lebanon: Signs of Recovery Amid Economic and Humanitarian Challenges

Liliane Mokbel 16/10 13:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Middle East

As Lebanon gradually emerges from a period marked by deep political, economic, and humanitarian turmoil, the World Bank’s latest MENAAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) Economic Report, published in October 2025, gives encouraging prospects for the country. Despite ongoing fragility, particularly in public finances and ...

Lebanon’s Bananas Withstand TR4

Christiane Tager 15/10 20:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

South Lebanon

Under the southern Lebanese sun, banana trees proudly stretch their lush green leaves, standing tall against climate challenges, crises and conflict. In this fertile, humid region, bananas have become more than a crop; they are a national specialty. “We produce between 80,000 and 100,000 tons a year, and demand keeps rising,” says a grower ...

Beirut Port Transactions Delayed: Management Clarifies Situation

This is Beirut 15/10 19:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Beirut Port Beirut management

Port of Beirut management issued a statement on Wednesday to clarify the reasons behind delays in the electronic processing of port transactions, emphasizing that these were not due to a work stoppage but to a temporary malfunction in the “Najm” system, which is used to transmit data to the Customs Directorate. According to the statement, ...

Gold Rush in Lebanon: Between Speculation and Shortages

Liliane Mokbel 15/10 16:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Lebanon economy gold silver

Lebanese buyers are increasingly turning to precious metals, especially gold and silver, whose international prices have been climbing steadily to record highs. These days, it can take up to a week to obtain a gold bar and nearly two weeks for a kilogram of silver. A few weeks ago, people had to spend over an hour in line to make a purchase. The ...

Music Hits Turned into Multi-Billion-Dollar Investment Assets

Christiane Tager 14/10 19:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

David Bowie Spotify Apple Goldman Sachs Concord

The music industry is increasingly merging with finance as artists and investors tap into the lucrative market of securitized music catalogs. Following David Bowie’s groundbreaking “Bowie Bonds” in 1997, which allowed him to raise $55 million by turning his song royalties into tradable bonds, this market has grown exponentially. In 2025, it ...

WindowTaylor Swift, Love, Diamonds and Pop: Everything She Touches Turns to Gold

Marie-Christine Tayah 14/10 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Taylor Swift Music Culture Economy Art Star

Dominating music charts, Taylor Swift leads in multiple areas, establishing herself as a worldwide sensation. The American star creates rare ripple effects across music, fashion and even finance. At 35, after announcing her engagement to American football player Travis Kelce this summer, Swift triggered an immediate reaction from millions of fans ...

Numbers & FiguresLebanon Still Charms, but Tourism Numbers Fall

Christiane Tager 14/10 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Tourism Economy Lebanon

In the 2010s, Lebanon ranked among the world’s top tourist destinations, celebrated for its festivals, crowded beaches, boutique hotels and award-winning cuisine. Tourism then accounted for nearly a fifth of GDP and was at the very heart of the economy. Today, that postcard-perfect image has faded. Two years after a brief recovery, the sector ...

US Tariffs on Timber, Furniture Take Effect

This is Beirut 14/10 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA Shipping Tariffs

US fresh tariffs on imported wood, furniture and kitchen cabinets took effect Tuesday, a development likely to fuel building costs and pile pressure on homebuyers in an already challenging market. The duties were imposed to boost US industries and protect national security, according to the White House, and they broaden a slate of ...

Mobile Telecom Workers Union Appeals NSSF Decree Extension

This is Beirut 13/10 12:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Alfa Touch lebanon NSSF

In a strongly worded statement, the union representing employees in the mobile telecommunications sector (Alfa and Touch) announced that it had filed an appeal on October 13, 2025, before the Council of State against the government’s decision of October 6, 2025, which extended by one year the validity of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) ...

Figure of the weekQaraoun Lake: Lebanon’s Silent Ecological Disaster

Liliane Mokbel 11/10 14:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Banks

Every year, an estimated 50 million cubic meters of domestic wastewater are discharged into Lake Qaraoun. Added to this are 2 million cubic meters of industrial wastewater, as well as waste from Syrian migrant camps established by the state along the riverbanks. This toxic mix is putting one of Lebanon’s largest freshwater reservoirs at serious ...