Economy

135 Million Dollars a Year: The High Cost of Lebanon’s State Rentals
Figure of the week135 Million Dollars a Year: The High Cost of Lebanon’s State Rentals

Every year, the Lebanese state spends 135 million dollars to house its ministries, administrations, and public institutions in rented buildings across the country. This astronomical sum could have been largely saved. With better management of public finances, successive governments could have grouped several ministries under one roof, as is the ...

Lebanon's Industry: Resilient Yet Transforming
Lebanon's Industry: Resilient Yet Transforming

In Lebanon, industry remains both a social buffer and a key provider of foreign currency. Yet its macroeconomic footprint has shrunk, reflecting an economy battered by currency collapse, weak domestic demand, and high energy costs. Caught between export momentum and fragile profit margins, the “made-in-Lebanon machine” moves forward ...

Asia Markets Mostly up on Heels of Apple, Amazon Earnings
Asia Markets Mostly up on Heels of Apple, Amazon Earnings

Asian stock markets mostly rose Friday morning, with a surge in Japanese shares coming after better-than-expected earnings reports from US tech behemoths Apple and Amazon. Investor confidence in artificial intelligence has fuelled a rally in global stock markets this week that saw California-based chip designer Nvidia become the first-ever $5 ...

Saddi Warns Lebanon 'cannot bear any additional debt'
Saddi Warns Lebanon 'cannot bear any additional debt'

Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi defended his ministry’s energy policy, stressing that Lebanon “has nothing to hide” and is working to stabilize electricity production despite severe financial and technical constraints. In an interview with LBCI, Saddi said that public institutions in the South, including Electricity of Lebanon (EDL) and ...

Nvidia, 1st Company to Top $5 Trillion in Market Value
Nvidia, 1st Company to Top $5 Trillion in Market Value

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to push the limits – literally. On Wednesday, Nvidia became the first company in the world to surpass $5 trillion in market capitalization, a historical record cementing its dominance in the semiconductor industry. Once a simple graphics card manufacturer, Nvidia has become a cornerstone of the AI ...

Eurowings Expands Lebanese Routes with Direct Flights to Prague and Salzburg
Eurowings Expands Lebanese Routes with Direct Flights to Prague and Salzburg

Good news for Lebanese travelers: the German airline Eurowings, a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, is expanding its network from Beirut with two new direct routes to Prague and Salzburg. Based in Düsseldorf, the low-cost carrier already operates flights to Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Stockholm. This expansion marks another step in the recovery of ...

Gold Demand Hit Records as Price Soared
Gold Demand Hit Records as Price Soared

Demand for gold hit a record high in the third quarter as the precious metal's price hit all-time highs on geopolitical unrest, industry data showed Thursday. Total demand grew three percent year-on-year in the July-September period to 1,313 tonnes, the World Gold Council said, as the metal, perceived as a safe haven investment, benefitted from ...

From Handshakes to Deals: Trump Reshapes Asia’s Trade World
From Handshakes to Deals: Trump Reshapes Asia’s Trade World

From Handshakes to Deals: Trump Reshapes Asia’s Trade World Christiane Tager During a visit to Asia, Donald Trump traded speeches for deals. In Gyeongju, South Korea, the former U.S. president sealed a major trade agreement with Seoul, one that extends beyond economics and is already sending shivers through global markets, from gold to the ...

Copper Price Hits Record High on US-China Hopes of Trade Truce
Copper Price Hits Record High on US-China Hopes of Trade Truce

The price of copper reached a record high in trading Wednesday, the industrial metal boosted by hopes of a truce in the US-China trade war. Copper hit $11,143 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange, also on concerns about tight global supply as a major mine in Indonesia remains shut following a deadly mudslide last month. The new high beat the ...

Elon Musk Reveals Plan for 48-Minute Hyperloop Tunnel Between New York and London
Elon Musk Reveals Plan for 48-Minute Hyperloop Tunnel Between New York and London

Elon Musk continues to push the boundaries of engineering. According to The Economic Times, the founder of SpaceX has revealed new details about his ambitious project for an underwater tunnel connecting New York to London in just 48 minutes using Hyperloop technology. The concept is based on magnetic levitation trains propelled through vacuum ...

Mali’s Fuel Crisis: A Nationwide Standstill
Mali’s Fuel Crisis: A Nationwide Standstill

Since early September, queues at gas stations in Bamako have been endlessly growing. The jihadist group JNIM (Jamaʿat Nuṣrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) has blocked fuel convoys from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, destroying nearly 100 tanker trucks, according to the Associated Press (AP). As a landlocked country, Mali relies on imports for more ...

Lebanese Insurers Approach Syrian Market with Caution
SpotlightLebanese Insurers Approach Syrian Market with Caution

Lebanese insurance companies have long been active in the Syrian market, establishing a presence decades ago when Hafez al-Assad’s regime opened the door to private sector activity. However, international sanctions forced most to withdraw, as the market became too risky. Today, any move to re-enter Syria is considered premature, according to a ...