Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry said on Sunday that the country’s trade surplus reached $52 billion in 2018. This amount comes as the gas-rich kingdom pushes back against a Saudi-led boycott put in place in 2017 over allegations that Qatar has funded terrorist groups and over claims it is seeking better ties with Saudi arch-rival Iran to underline Riyadh. Doha vehemently denies both claims. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have also taken part in the boycott. Qatar has also sold bonds worth $12 billion, its finance ministry said last Thursday. Media in the region said the kingdom was still attracting strong demand despite the economic and diplomatic boycott by its former Gulf allies. In 2018, Qatar raised $12 billion in its first dollar bond sale in two years, bypassing Saudi Arabia’s $11 billion bond issue the same year. Tenacious Qatar Both developments point to the tenacity […]