{"id":616404,"date":"2024-03-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/03\/05\/results-of-efg-hermes-researchs-annual-one-on-one-live-poll-are-out\/"},"modified":"2024-03-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T00:00:00","slug":"results-of-efg-hermes-researchs-annual-one-on-one-live-poll-are-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2024\/03\/05\/results-of-efg-hermes-researchs-annual-one-on-one-live-poll-are-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Results of EFG Hermes Research\u2019s annual One-on-One live poll are out"},"content":{"rendered":"

EFG Hermes Research's annual One-on-One Live Poll gauged the audience\u2019s outlook for<\/strong>the year<\/strong> in what is the only live poll we know of in frontier emerging markets. Over 400 attendees were given ten questions and tasked with anonymously responding to each one within ten seconds. Below is a roundup of the key takeaways from the poll. <\/p>\n

Egypt came in second as the best MENA market for expected USD performance in 2024<\/strong>, receiving 25% of the votes counted. Leading the pack was Saudi Arabia with 44%, while Dubai came in third with 12% and Abu Dhabi in fourth with 8%. <\/p>\n

FX issues have been keeping 28% of respondents awake at night<\/strong>, while 25% were lucky enough to report that they sleep well at night. For the rest of the group, 14% pointed to falling shares for their sleepless nights, 9% blamed rising labor costs, and 8% said supply chain issues.<\/p>\n

Nearly half of respondents (44%) see the US Federal Reserve cutting rates by 50 bps<\/strong> \u2014 over two separate 25 bps cuts \u2014 during the year. While, 26% think it could cut interest rates by up to 75 bps in three separate moves. <\/p>\n

Oil prices will average around USD 80 per barrel this year according to 47% of respondents<\/strong>, which is in line with what most pundits \u2014 including Fitch Ratings<\/a> and the US Energy Information Administration (IEA) \u2014 have forecast. <\/p>\n

A 62% majority said they plan to invest more in their business this year than<\/strong> they did last year<\/strong>, while 19% plan to keep expenditure at the same level and another 19% plan to cut back. <\/p>\n

Respondents were evenly split on which sectors will perform best in the MENA region<\/strong> this year<\/strong>, with 27% voting for real estate and an equal amount voting for healthcare. In third place was banks with 24% of the vote.<\/p>\n

Other interesting takeaways: <\/strong><\/p>\n