Economics Lebanon’s economy will end 2012 on a negative note as political and security instability drags on with medium- and long-term economic indicators showing continuing signs of mediocrity, experts told The Daily Star Monday. “The year would now most probably end in negative GDP growth. Growth was already negative or near zero in the second and third quarters,” chief economist at Byblos Bank Nassib Ghobril told The Daily Star. “We had expected a quiet fourth quarter when some compensation should have taken place given that it is the quarter of highest trade activity. But now this is obviously impossible,” he added. More from The Daily Star The United Arab Emirates’ key Fujairah pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz will be fully operational by the end of the year and will carry most of Abu Dhabi’s oil exports, the oil minister of the OPEC member said on Tuesday. Alarmed by
