WORLD BANK REPORT
According to the World Bank report titled “From Privilege to Competition- Unlocking Private–Led Growth in the Middle East and North Africa”, Lebanon ranks 1st among 9 countries in terms of “efficiency of credit markets”.
MOF AID COORDINATION NEWSLETTER UPDATE
According to the Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) Aid Coordination Newsletter number 24, the aggregate value of agreements (signed and disbursed) with international donors reached €43.47 million and $3.46 million during the month of October 2009.
BEIRUT PORT ACTIVITY UP TO OCTOBER 2009
The Beirut port freight activity was up by 9.05% y-o-y reaching 5.27 million tons through October 2009. During the month of October alone, freight activity rose to 490,600 tons.
IMF ISSUES NEW EPCA REPORT ON LEBANON
According to the IMF’s latest report dated November 12, 2009 titled “Lebanon: Report on Performance Under the Program Supported by Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance”, the Lebanese banking sector emerged unscathed from the global financial crisis in terms of profitability and capitalization.
EGYPT’S REAL GDP GROWTH AT AN ANNUALIZED 4.9% DURING THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2009
According to government data, Egypt’s real GDP grew at an annualized 4.9% during the third quarter of the year driven by an expansion in the construction and telecommunication sectors.
TRADE GAP IN SEPTEMBER 2009
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S balance of trade deficit widened by 18.51% to $36.5 billion in September 2009, up from $30.8 billion in August
