By Invitation: Dr Azar is Professor of Economics and Finance at Haigazian Univesrsity in Beirut, Lebanon. The views expressed in this note are his and they don’t necessarily reflect the views of Blominvest ... read more
According to Global Blue’s January to December 2022 “Globeshopper Spending” report for Lebanon, average tourist spending in Lebanon slumped by 19% by end of year 2022 compared to the previous year of 2021 ... read more
According to the data revealed by “Rasamny Younis Motor sal”, Lebanese car market witnessed an uptick of 39.58% annually to end up the year of 2022 at 6,563 cars by December compared to 4,702 cars by the ... read more
According to Ernst & Young Middle East hotel benchmark survey, the occupancy rate in Beirut’s 4- and 5-star hotels reached 49.6% percentage points (pp) by November 2022, up from last year’s percentage ... read more
According to the balance sheet of Banque du Liban (BDL), the central bank’s total assets added 14.19% compared to last year, to reach $187.27B by mid of January 2023. The increase was mainly due to the ... read more
On 20 January 2023, BDL issued three new circulars that make the changing of the official exchange rate to 15,000 LBP from 1,507.5 LBP highly possible by the beginning of February 2023. The three circulars ... read more
The Lebanese economy is highly reliant on international trade with larger importations generally driven by the notable strength of private consumption and relative lack of local industries in light of the ... read more
The activity at Rafic Hariri International Airport improved remarkably in 2022. The number of Beirut’s International airport passengers added 46.97% YOY and recorded 6,352,446 passengers by the end of 2022 ... read more
According to BDL’s latest monetary report, the BOP recorded a cumulative deficit of $3.21B by November 2022, double the deficit over the same period last year which totaled only $1.57B. Accordingly, Net ... read more
On 9 January 2023, the Minister of Finance issued decision number 2/1, based on Law number 10 of 15/11/2022 and in relation to article 10 in the Budget, that replaced decision number 686/1 of 23/11/2022, ... read more
According to Lebanon’s consolidated commercial banks’ balance sheet, total assets decreased annually by 6.01% to stand at $165.05B by November 2022. On the assets side, currency and deposits with Central ... read more
According to the Ministry of Finance, transfers to Electricite du Liban (EDL) stood at $462.9M by October 2021, dropping by 37.4% compared to the same period last year. This was mainly a result of lower ... read more
According to Ernst & Young Middle East hotel benchmark survey, the occupancy rate in Beirut’s 4- and 5-star hotels reached 51.3% percentage points (pp) by October 2022, up from last year’s percentage ... read more
According to the customs Administration, Lebanon’s trade deficit totaled $15.56B up from $9.75B during the same period last year. Total imported goods added 39.65% year-on-year (YOY) to $19.05B while total ... read more
According to the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS), the Consumer Price Index (CPI), representing the evolution of goods and services’ prices consumed by households, revealed that Lebanon’s monthly ... read more
According to the balance sheet of Banque du Liban (BDL), the central bank’s total assets added 16.25% compared to last year, to reach $189.70B by end of December 2022. The increase was mainly due to the ... read more
Overall, total container activity including transshipment (TEU+TS) increased by a yearly 14.66% to stand at 654,344 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU); container activity (TEU) added 16.91% on a yearly ... read more
This Economic Digest is prepared by Dr Samih Azar (Professor of Economics and Finance at Haigazian University): The US dollar keeps on climbing. The daily change tops one thousand pounds, or some 2.5% a ... read more
The data released by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) recently indicated that Lebanon’s gross public debt hit $103.64B in August 2022, thereby recording an annual increase of 5% YOY. The rise is mainly ... read more
According to the data from the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (LRC), the number of Real estate (RE) transactions which may include one or more realties, went down by a yearly 17.38% to ... read more
According to the data published by the Association of Lebanese Banks’ (ABL), the total number of cleared checks in the Lebanese financial system slumped from 2,948,730 checks from November 2021 to ... read more
According to the customs Administration, Lebanon’s trade deficit totaled $14.57B up from $9.10B registered in the same period last year. Total imported goods added 43.86% year-on-year (YOY) to $17.79B ... read more
Disclaimer The content of this blog is for information purposes only. The information herein has been compiled from, or based upon sources we believe to be reliable, but we do not guarantee or accept responsibility for its completeness or accuracy. This document should not be construed as a solicitation to take part in any investment, or as constituting any representation or warranty on our part. The consequences of any action taken on the basis of information contained herein are solely the responsibility of the recipient.
This website uses cookies in order to improve user experience. If you close this box or continue browsing, we will assume you agree with this. For more information click here
