Good morning, nice people. We have a brisk issue this morning with the latest on Etihad’s expansion in African air freight links and a deep dive into the future of global trade patterns, courtesy of The McKinsey Global Institute.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1-Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent Holdings is looking to grow its cloud business in KSA and UAE by investing in data storage, Bloomberg reports. Despite still being at a formative stage, the move will see Tencent develop cloud storage for its own operations and to cater to customers, with an initial focus on providing cloud storage for gaming and entertainment companies, Senior Executive Vice President Dowson Tong told Bloomberg. “We are going to announce more throughout the year,” Tong said, “We see a lot of potential in this market so will be increasing our investment,” the executive also added.

REMEMBER- Global tech players are making significant inroads into the region, including Amazon subsidiary Amazon Web Services’ recent plans to launch a “hyper-scale” cloud region in Saudi Arabia by 2026, part of a wider USD 5.3 bn investment ticket.

#2-Iraq is trading accusations with oil firms on who is responsible for the delays in restarting the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline (ITP) a year after its closure, Reuters reports, citing statements by Iraq’s oil ministry and the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR). Iraq's oil ministry says it has not received contracts for revision from foreign companies operating in the region and Iraqi Kurdish authorities, after a court decision deemed existing contracts inked with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) invalid. Meanwhile, APIKUR claims that Iraq’s federal government in Baghdad has not “taken the required actions,” to restart flows along the ITP, and is dragging its feet on negotiations, the newswire wrote.

#3-OPEC’s Secretary General has urged more investments in the oil sector to meet global energy demands, Wam reports. Added investments in oil are required to secure “sufficient and reliable supplies” for the global economy and future generations, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said. OPEC’s head forecasts a need for USD 11.1 tn in investments in oil exploration and production, USD 1.7 tn in refining, and USD 1.2 tn in transportation and marketing, by 2045, to keep pace with rising global demand.

OPEC sees a fossil fuel phaseout as “wrong and unrealistic,” Al Ghais told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an interview. "It would also have catastrophic impacts on mns of people losing their jobs. It would also put manufacturing worldwide to a halt, slow global economic growth and worsen energy poverty in many countries…,” he said. Instead, OPEC members’ expertise in the industry should be put towards developing innovative solutions to lower emissions.

#4-Boeing’s top management is being shuffled with CEO Dave Calhoun set to step down by the end of the year, Reuters reports. Former Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf has been tapped to serve as Boeing’s new chairman and will begin searching for Calhoun’s replacement. Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal will also retire and will be replaced by Stephanie Pope. The shakeup in Boeing’s leadership comes as the company manages the fallout from a January incident which saw a panel detach mid-flight on a Boeing jet. The event raised concerns about the company’s safety standards and its oversight over subcontractors. Boeing’s shares have shed almost a quarter of their value since the event, the newswire added.

REMEMBER- Emirates President Tim Clark hinted at the need for changes in Boeing’s leadership earlier this month. “When you change the governance model, it invariably involves changing the people around the old governance model,” Clark said.

DISRUPTION WATCH-

Houthis warn Saudi Arabia of retaliation if it supports US strikes against the group’s targets in Yemen, Bloomberg reports. “We have sent a message to Saudi Arabia that it will be a target if it allows American fighter jets to use its territory or airspace in their aggression on Yemen,” Mohamed Ali Al Houthi, a senior leader in the Iranian-backed group, said in a televised interview. KSA has so far distanced itself from US-led military action against the Houthis, as it looks to disentangle itself from a protracted military conflict that concluded in 2022, Bloomberg writes.

Russian and Chinese vessels transiting the Red Sea still face risks despite being granted safe passage, Bloomberg reports. China and Russia recently struck an agreement with the Houthis for safe transit for their vessels in exchange for political support in the UN Security Council, Bloomberg writes, citing people familiar with the discussions. Despite the agreement, a Chinese-owned oil tanker was attacked over the weekend, with a fire breaking out aboard the vessel before being put out. Houthi attacks on Russian and Chinese shipping may also be attributable to mistaken identities, Bloomberg writes, citing a recent incident whereby the Houthis labeled the True Confidence as “American” following a deadly attack.

MARKET WATCH-

#1-Oil prices rallied more than 1% on Monday, as Russia and Ukraine exchanged blows targeting energy infrastructure and hopes for a Gaza ceasefire dwindled, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures gained 1.2% to USD 86.48 a barrel by 14.23 GMT, while US crude futures edged up 1.4% to USD 81.78 a barrel. Benchmarks Brent and WTI have gained 11% and 12.5% so far this year, the newswire said. Expectations that major economies will cut interest rates by the summer, thereby driving demand, and tighter supplies due to extended OPEC+ production cuts, also buoyed the market.

#2-Investors have been uptaking oil-linked futures and contracts at the fastest rate in four years, as expectations that OPEC+ will continue production limits, an improved economic outlook, and supply disruptions on the back of Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian energy infrastructure, drive bullish sentiment in the market, Reuters reports. Hedge funds and investors have purchased some 140 mn barrels in the top six futures and options contracts tracking oil prices, with the buying spree the fastest since March 2019, reports filed with exchanges and regulators showed. The majority of the new purchases cover long positions (+111 mn barrels), with less covering short positions (-30 mn barrels), in an indication that investors see oil prices rallying further.

DATA POINT-

Jordan’s trade position improved in January, with the country’s trade deficit declining 33.7% y-o-y to JOD 668 mn, Petra reports. Jordan’s exports saw a 2.7% y-o-y increase in January to some JOD 605 mn, with national exports growing 1.2% and re-exports hiking 21.3%. Export performance was buoyed by larger volumes of goods, clothing, and fertilizers exports, among other categories, while exports of phosphate, potash, and jewelry declined. Imports for the same period saw a 19.7% y-o-y fall to JOD 1.3 bn, with the decline attributed to lower crude oil and derivatives, machine tools, and electrical tools imports, Petra said.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UAE will host Abu Dhabi Mobility Week from Wednesday, 24 April to Wednesday, 1 May in Abu Dhabi. The event, organized by The Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi (DMT), will feature announcements, forums, and introduce a mobility strategy for the emirate.

Iran will host the second Iran-Africa International Summit from Wednesday, 24 April through to Friday, 26 April in Tehran. The event will see Iran receive trade ministers from more than 40 African countries.

Saudi Arabia will host a special World Economic Forum event from Sunday, 28 April through to Monday, 29 April in Riyadh. The event will focus on global collaboration and energy.

The UAE will host the 23rd edition of the Airport Show from Tuesday, 14 May through to Thursday, 16 May in Dubai. The 23rd Airport Show will see representation from airport suppliers, airport service providers, aviation executives, and regional decision makers. The event will highlight current innovations and new technologies, while emphasizing this year’s "Sustainability and Innovation," theme.

The UAE will host The Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit from Monday, 20 May to Wednesday, 22 May in Abu Dhabi. The event will see industry leaders come together to discuss sustainable mobility and tapping into groundbreaking advancements in electric vehicles while engaging with key decision-makers.

Check out our full calendar at the bottom of this email for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events and news triggers.