Author
Articles by Christopher Lee
Markets & Finance
How important is LNG to Qatar's economy
Qatar exports about 77 million tonnes of LNG a year and was expanding toward 142 million tonnes by 2030 until the 2026 attack on Ras Laffan took about 12.8 million tonnes of capacity offline.
Christopher Lee
Markets & Finance
Why Gulf currencies are pegged to the dollar
The UAE dirham has been fixed at 3.6725 to the dollar since the late 1990s, the Saudi riyal at 3.75 since 1986. The logic is oil, imports and interest rates imported from the Fed.
Christopher Lee
Markets & Finance
Gulf sovereign wealth funds, explained
Saudi Arabia's PIF holds more than $925 billion and targets $2 trillion by 2030; ADIA and QIA sit among the world's largest. What these funds are, and what they buy.
Christopher Lee
Markets & Finance
How Islamic finance works in the Gulf
Islamic finance routes money through trade, lease and partnership contracts instead of interest. Dubai Islamic Bank has run the model since 1975, and every Saudi bank operates under it by law.
Christopher Lee
Markets & Finance
How much does Aramco pay in dividends
Aramco paid $124.2 billion in dividends for 2024, held quarterly payouts near $31 billion through 2025, and guided to about $85.4 billion for 2025. Here is how the payout is built.
Christopher Lee