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MIDEAST STOCKS - Factors to watch - Feb 14

2012-02-14T04:26:17Z

DUBAI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Here are factors that mayaffect Middle East stock markets on Tuesday. Reuters has notverified the press reports and does not vouch for theiraccuracy.

PRECIOUS-Gold slips with euro as Europe jitters remain

2012-02-14T07:35:02Z

* Investors sceptical of Greece's ability to carry outreforms

Obama sets out tax rises for rich in budget

2012-02-14T04:50:33Z

Republicans slam $3.8tn budget, which includes tax hikes on wealthy and new jobs programmes, as an "insult to taxpayers"

Euro, global shares slip on European debt worries

2012-02-14T08:35:15Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Global shares and the euro eased and safe-haven German government bonds rose on Tuesday as demand for riskier assets stalled after ratings agency Moody's downgraded six European nations, taking the shine off the Bank of Japan's policy easing.

Three clues you are about to lose your job

2012-02-13T07:20:44+00:00

The firing process is God awful. (No matter how gleefully Mitt Romney extolled its virtues on the campaign trail.) People hate to cause pain, so there's major stress involved with letting someone go for underperformance.

Insurance sector dominates trading

2012-02-13T23:03:19Z

ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) closed at 6,831.56 points on Monday, up 28.62 points at a growth rate of 0.42 percent over the close of the previous day. On an YTD basis TASI registered a positive return of 6.45 percent. Nineteen Saudi stocks, including Monday’s top gainers Sanad Insurance & Reinsurance Cooperative Company and Al-Alamiya for Cooperative Insurance Co., rose to their 52-week highs. Insurance sector dominated Monday’s trading activity as its relative market share was 26.9 percent in terms of value, 16.8 percent in terms of volume and 34. ...

Emaar plans to expand Dubai Mall

2012-02-13T23:03:19Z

ARAB NEWS DUBAI: The Dubai Mall, the world's biggest shopping center, is going to become more bigger as its developer Emaar Properties plans to expand the mall by 1 million square feet to the existing 12 million square feet development. The expansion to the mall, which hosted more than 54 million visitors in 2011 to become the world’s most-visited shopping and leisure destination, and also recorded robust visitor arrivals in January 2012, will take The Dubai Mall and Downtown Dubai into the next era in retailing, entertainment and lifestyle. ...

Liquid feedstocks may hurt GCC petchem firms’ earnings

2012-02-13T23:03:33Z

ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Following two decades of expansion driven by an abundance of natural gas at advantaged prices, GCC petrochemical companies established a leading position in their industry. However, recent shifts in both supply and demand have led to growing gas shortages of natural gas in the region. At the same time, feedstock developments in other parts of the world pose threats as well as provide opportunities to GCC players. ...

Kuwait's central bank chief 'quits over govt spending'

2012-02-13T06:10:57Z

Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah, has resigned in protest against the oil-rich Gulf state's steep rise in spending, local media reported on Monday.

CORRECTED-PRECIOUS-Gold steadies as euro retreats from highs

2012-02-13T16:32:08Z

(Corrects spelling of Anne-Laure Tremblay in fourth paragraph)

Dubai's Shuaa Capital 2011 annual loss widens to $80 mln

2012-02-13T05:33:40Z

DUBAI, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Shuaa Capital, which hasbeen hit by slumping global markets, reported a wider 2011 losson Monday as the investment bank booked provisions and one-offcharges.

Qatar Airways CEO still confident of A380 delivery

2012-02-13T03:03:51Z

Quality top agenda for $1 trillion GCC projects

2012-02-13T00:00:00Z

ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: With more than $1 trillion worth of major new projects expected to be completed in the GCC between now and 2020, the largest construction work per capita in the world, industry stakeholders are setting up initiatives to ensure these new projects are completed to the highest standards of quality. "The projects completed and now under way in the six countries that make up of the GCC have special significance. ...

China urges closer cooperation from Iran in nuclear standoff

2012-02-13T03:49:34Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged Iran to cooperate more closely with the global nuclear watchdog and rejoin talks on its nuclear program that has caused a rift with the West.

Hey big spender! Valentine's Day a time to splash out

2012-02-14T12:10:31+00:00

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is upon us once more – and a Yahoo! Maktoob survey has shown that the day is actually well loved and lavishly celebrated in the Middle East.

Japan economy shrinks more than expected in Q4, weak

2012-02-13T00:49:28Z

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy shrank a bigger-than-expected 0.6 percent in October-December, hurt by slowing global growth, Thai floods and a strong yen, casting doubt about expectations that growth will resume this quarter as Europe's debt crisis clouds the outlook.

Fixing Airbus A380 wing cracks to 'cost €100mn'

2012-02-12T13:45:09Z

Tiny cracks detected in January in the wings of some Airbus A380s will cost around 100 million euros to fix, the German weekly Der Spiegel reports in its edition to appear on Monday.

Sun arrests pile pressure on Murdoch media empire

2012-02-13T00:22:12Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch is under pressure over his Sun tabloid after the arrests of several senior staff in a corruption probe, but whistleblowers inside his media empire may pose more of a threat than the public outrage that forced the closure of its sister paper.

PRECIOUS-Gold rises on Greek austerity bill, off 2-wk low

2012-02-13T00:43:55Z

SINGAPORE, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Gold strengthened onMonday after Greece's parliament finally approved a deeplyunpopular austerity bill to secure a second EU/IMF bailout toavoid national bankruptcy.

UPDATE 1-Kuwait Jan oil output 2.9 mln bdp, price "reasonable" - KPC

2012-02-12T17:33:28Z

(Adds details, background)

U.S. banks agree to $25 billion in homeowner help

2012-02-10T14:30:06Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five big U.S. banks accused of abusive mortgage practices have agreed to a $25 billion government settlement that may help roughly one million borrowers but is no magic bullet for the ailing housing market.

UAE to ban export of groundwater

2012-02-13T00:00:00Z

ARAB NEWS ABU DHABI: The Ministerial Council for Services approved Sunday a proposal to ban the export of UAE's groundwater to any destination outside the country. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Ministerial Council for Services under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. ...

Bahrain's Gulf Air gets $80 mln loan from Mashreq

2012-02-12T11:31:46Z

DUBAI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Bahrain's national carrierGulf Air has secured a $80 million loan from a unit ofDubai's Mashreq Bank to help the ailing airline meetits working capital requirements.

Row over carbon tax may cause trade conflict: Airbus boss

2012-02-13T03:52:28Z

A widening split in the global aviation industry over a proposed carbon tax may trigger a trade war, the chief executive of plane manufacturer Airbus said Monday.

China vows to pursue balanced trade with US

2012-02-12T15:52:51Z

A top Chinese official on Sunday vowed Beijing would pursue more balanced trade with the United States, as the country's Vice President Xi Jinping prepares for an official US visit.

Iraq begins pumping oil to new Gulf terminal

2012-02-12T22:22:19Z

Iraq began pumping oil on Sunday to the first of five floating terminals in the Gulf in a move that will increase its export capacity by 850,000 barrels per day.

Air India seeks $1 billion from Boeing for delays: source

2012-02-09T14:52:39Z

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Air India is seeking nearly $1 billion from Boeing Co to compensate for delays in aircraft deliveries, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.