Beyond Disruption: The Next Chapter for GCC Economies

In this episode of The Decisive, host Kristen Hallam shares highlights from a July 15 webinar on how Gulf Cooperation Council economies are adapting to trade disruption, infrastructure risk and shifting growth priorities. S&P Global Market Intelligence experts Kevjn Lim, Chris Rogers and Jamil Nayyem join Ralf Wiegert to discuss how the region is moving beyond immediate disruption toward longer-term questions about resilience, trade continuity and economic diversification.

The conversation explores the practical limits of alternative routes around the Strait of Hormuz; the role of pipelines, ports, rail and corridor connectivity; and the implications for supply chains that depend on Middle East petrochemicals and other industrial inputs. The panel also examines what recent PMI data suggest about supply conditions across the GCC, how infrastructure investment could support non-oil growth, and why geopolitical uncertainty, fiscal pressure and execution risk may shape the pace of recovery.

Topics covered include:

• How global buyers have responded to disruption in Middle East trade flows, including the different recovery paths for energy products, petrochemicals and industrial materials.
• The distinction between temporary workarounds and permanent bypass infrastructure around the Strait of Hormuz.
• Why pipelines, export terminals, port rerouting, rail links and multimodal corridors could make Gulf trade routes more layered and diversified.
• How June PMI data point to tentative improvements in supply conditions across parts of the GCC, while demand and confidence remain sensitive to geopolitical conditions.
• What resilience-led investment could mean for logistics hubs, industrial zones, port operators, freight forwarders, manufacturers and regional value chains.

More S&P Global Market Intelligence Content:

• Midyear Economic Check-In
• Geopolitical Risk Brief: July 2026
• Global outlook marred by further slide in emerging market business confidence

For S&P Global subscribers (login required):

• Middle East war
• Red Sea maritime and aviation risks

Credits:

• Hosts: Kristen Hallam, Ralf Wiegert
• Guests: Kevjn Lim, Jamil Naayem, Chris Rogers
• Produced By: Debbie Taylor, Kristen Hallam
• Edited By: Marz Marcello
• Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun