Business

  Leading U.S. hedge fund managers—including Bridgewater Associates , Tiger Global , and Discovery Capital —have significantly increased their holdings in Big Tech stocks over Q2 2025, driven by a renewed burst of enthusiasm for AI. Simply Wall St +2 MoneyWeek +2 Reuters What’s Happening: Bridgewater more than doubled its stake in Nvidia , investing $1.14 billion , and raised positions in Alphabet, Microsoft, Broadcom, and Palo Alto Networks. Discovery Capital doubled its Meta holdings, initiated a position in CoreWeave (supported by Nvidia), and elevated its exposure to UnitedHealth Group and Latin American equities. Tiger Global expanded its investments in Amazon, Alphabet, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Meta, and entered a position in Lam Research. Coatue Management added AI-related names like Arm Holdings and Oracle, raising its investment in CoreWeave to $2.9 billion . Reuters Why It’s a Positive Signal for Investors: Indicator Implication for Investors Major pla...

Emirates NBD has achieved a landmark milestone in the UAE’s financial sector, with its zero-fee equities trading initiative crossing AED 5 billion in trades within just one year of launch. Rolled out in August 2024 on the bank’s award-winning digital wealth platform ENBD X , the initiative has recorded over 300,000 trades across the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), and Nasdaq Dubai. Customers now enjoy commission-free access to more than 150 UAE-listed equities , a move that has significantly boosted retail investor participation. Making Investing More Accessible The zero-fee model has lowered barriers to entry for both seasoned and first-time investors. By eliminating commission charges, Emirates NBD has positioned equity investing as a mainstream wealth-building tool , rather than a service limited to high-net-worth individuals. This aligns closely with the UAE’s long-term “We the UAE 2031” vision , which emphasizes financial inclusion and strong...

Regional Markets Dip Amid Tariff Worries Gulf stock markets ended the week lower as fresh U.S. tariff announcements and uncertainty over potential Federal Reserve policy moves weighed on investor sentiment. In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai’s main index fell 0.8%, driven by losses in major stocks such as Emirates NBD, which declined 2.4%, and Salik Company, down 1.1%. This drop came despite the index reaching a 17.5-year high earlier in the week. Abu Dhabi’s index slipped 0.5%, with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank losing 3.4% and Commercial Bank International plunging 7.8% after reporting a 5% fall in quarterly profit. Some companies managed to buck the downward trend. Gulf Navigation gained 5.8% after raising its foreign ownership limit to 100%, while Multiply Group advanced 5.1%. National Bank of Fujairah surged 9.6% following a 67% increase in second-quarter earnings. Global market sentiment was similarly cautious. According to industry data, global equity funds recorded $7.82 billio...

New Foreign Transaction Card Fees Coming: What Travelers and Expats Should Know Global travelers and international shoppers may soon see a rise in costs, as several major banks and financial institutions are introducing new foreign transaction fees on credit and debit card usage abroad. These updated fee structures, expected to roll out in Q4 2025 , are designed to offset rising cross-border payment processing costs and currency conversion risks. The changes will particularly affect cardholders making purchases outside their home country or transacting with international merchants online. What’s Changing? While many cards have traditionally imposed a 1–3% foreign transaction fee , new policies could introduce: Flat-rate international usage charges Higher fees for emerging market currencies Separate surcharges for online cross-border transactions Fees applied even if the transaction is processed in local currency Implications for Consumers: Frequent travelers, digit...

Dubai Launches ‘One Freezone Passport’, Enabling Businesses to Operate Across All Free Zones with a Single License . Dubai has introduced a game-changing reform to its business environment with the launch of the One Freezone Passport. This new initiative allows companies to operate across all of Dubai’s free zones using just one trade license, removing the previous requirement of obtaining separate licenses for each zone. This policy was introduced by the Dubai Free Zones Council and marks a major step toward creating a unified and borderless business ecosystem within the emirate. It aligns with Dubai’s vision to streamline business regulations and encourage investment, innovation, and growth. Traditionally, businesses operating in more than one free zone were required to establish separate entities and maintain individual licenses for each jurisdiction. With the One Freezone Passport, this burden is lifted. A business registered in any Dubai free zone — such as DMCC, DIFC, Meydan, J...

Gulf Markets React to U.S. Inflation Surge and Tariff Uncertainty Markets across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region faced heightened volatility this week as investors responded to a combination of rising inflation in the United States and escalating trade rhetoric from Washington. The reaction, although measured, reflects the region’s economic and financial sensitivity to global macroeconomic developments, particularly those stemming from the world’s largest economy. Fresh U.S. inflation data released midweek indicated that consumer prices rose at their fastest pace in five months, reigniting concerns that the Federal Reserve may delay anticipated interest rate cuts. This was a significant shift for global markets, which had largely priced in a more dovish monetary policy path. For the Gulf, where most currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar, any deviation in Fed policy tends to have a ripple effect on capital markets, lending costs, and investor sentiment. As a result, region...