Good morning, nice people. We’re inching closer to the weekend with a reduced news cycle, leaving us with another brisk read this morning.

Leading today: Egypt is doubling down on its push to boost its exports, with the Finance Ministry planning to hike industrial subsidies to over EGP 50 bn in the upcoming budget. The goal is a 15% annual growth in exports to narrow the trade deficit. This could be even more attainable if the country’s plan to slash customs clearance times from eight days to just 48 hours succeeds.

On a regional note, some of our transshipment hubs are facing a taxing new reality as the EU’s maritime carbon tax rules enter full enforcement this year. Egypt’s East Port Said and Morocco’s Tanger are the only two regional ports currently on the EU’s high-risk list for evasive rerouting, meaning ships calling there still face heavy carbon costs — covering about 50% of the long-haul voyage’s emissions — in contrast to non-listed ports. The silver lining? This could fast-track the region’s green bunkering industry, as e-methanol becomes the primary tool for shipping lines looking to offset penalties while maintaining their EU routes.

The big logistics story abroad

India and the EU have finally inked the long-awaited freetrade agreement (FTA). The agreement will slash Indian tariffs on 90% of EU exports to zero immediately, excluding automobiles, whose tariffs will fall gradually from 110% to 10% over five years. Meanwhile, the EU will also cut its duties on more than 90% of Indian goods at launch.

BUT- India failed to secure any concessions or a carbon tax exemption despite its strong push. Still, India secured limited steel quota access, and a new technical group will be set up to assist Indian firms in verifying their carbon footprints as the EU’s strict green rules took effect in January this year.

We’re expecting more FTAs across the world this year, as more players work to hedge against the US’ trade volatility and seek more predictable trading partners.

ALSO- US airports are still reeling from a winter storm that struck most of the country this week, with American Airlines alone canceling at least some 1.4k flights yesterday. The disruption peaked on Sunday (11k cancelations) –– the highest number since the pandemic — before slightly improving on Monday (6k cancelations).

REMEMBER- De-icing agents, critical chemicals used to de-ice runways and aircraft, have been in shortage earlier this year, as more frequent and severe winter storms raise the demand.

Watch this space

DATA CENTERS — Sharjah advances in the data race: UAE’s Sharjah is eyeing more data infrastructure after a tripartite MoU was signed to explore building and operating data centers in the emirate, state news agency Wam reports. The pact links the Sharjah Communications Technology Authority (SCTA) with China’s DataCanvas International and AI Caravan to assess feasibility.

Why it matters: This puts Sharjah on a clearer path to becoming a data and AI hub alongside Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The move builds on groundwork laid in 2024, when Beeah Group, Khazna Data Centers, and SCTA agreed to develop the emirate’s largest Tier III facility at the Sharjah Freezone for Communication Technologies in Kalba, with additional sites planned across the emirate. Elsewhere, UAE-based XDS was commissioning a 1 MW data facility in Sharjah as of last summer, and Ajman is also seeing some of the action, with Khazna Data Centers working to complete its 100 MW QAJ1 facility this December.

TRADE — Jordan, Syria, and Turkey are working on reviving cross-border trade flows, and are setting up a joint committee to oversee collaboration on land, air, and rail links under an MoU signed earlier this week.

All eyes on MENA-Europe volumes: Syria’s reintegration in the global and regional economies in the post-Assad era is bringing back to life stalled logistics project that could provide an alternative route to Europe-MENA trade flows. These include the Hejaz railway connecting Turkey to Jordan’s Aqaba Port through Syria — a project that the three countries agreed to revive back in September a 13-year hiatus.

This should not come as a surprise, given the intense efforts over the past six months to remove trade barriers. This included the introduction of the unified transit fees agreement between Syria and Jordan, which reduced transit fees to a unified rate of 2%, down from 5%. Ankara is also actively seeking direct overland access to the Gulf through the Levant in a bid to avoid longer transits through the Sea.

AVIATION — Boeing returned to black in 2025: US-based aviation giant Boeing turned a positive net income of USD 2.2 bn in 2025 — a stunning reversal from the year prior, in which it recorded USD 11.8 bn in losses, according to an earnings release. The company’s top line also surged by 35% y-o-y to hit 89.4%.

The drivers: The robust 2025 earnings come on the heels of a solid operational performance that saw the firm’s commercial deliveries surge 72% y-o-y to reach 600, with a particular rise in the firm’s two most popular aircraft: the 737 Max and 787. Offloading Jeppesen, Boeing’s software services arm, to Thoma Bravo in a transaction valued at USD 10.6 bn back in April also contributed positively.

Market watch

Oil prices rose this morning as weather-driven disruptions in the US production continued to weigh on the market outlook, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures were up USD 0.28 to trade at USD 67.85 / bbl as of 04:10 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) decreased by USD 0.35 to USD 62.74 / bbl. This came after the benchmarks rallied by some 3% on Tuesday.

The Baltic Index just had a great day: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — jumped 12% to 1,999 points on Tuesday, its strongest level since 19 December. The capesize added a robust 22.4% to reach 3,215 points, while the panamax index edged up 0.8% to 1,625. Meanwhile, the smaller supramax rose by 0.4% to 1,039.

Data point

3k+ aircraft — that’s the cumulative order backlog held by the UAE, India, and Saudi Arabia with Airbus and Boeing, more than double the size of their current fleets, according to a statement from Avolon. Around 900 deliveries are expected over the next three years.

The global scene: While the aviation sector’s prospects are looking promising, thanks to persistent low fuel prices and growth from markets like the US, Europe, the Gulf, and India, a chronic undersupply of aircraft is weighing on the outlook. Airbus and Boeing’s total backlog now stands at more than 11 years, as the two — along with Embraer — saw 2k new orders last year.

Going forward, the aircraft shortage is expected to lead to higher lease rates, and the sector’s earnings are set to come in at USD 41 bn this year, which would make it the fourth year of gains as it looks to recover USD 182 bn in pandemic-induced losses.

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