Economics Saudi Arabia may allow foreigners to invest directly in stocks in the next year, said John Burbank, founder of the $3.7 billion hedge fund Passport Capital LLC. More from Bloomberg Lebanon’s advertising spending outpaced GDP growth by increasing 4.5 percent in 2012, with online advertising posting 29 percent growth, ArabAd magazine reported in its annual survey. More from The Daily Star Egyptian consumer prices last month posted the biggest increase in more than two years after the pound weakened to a record and foreign reserves slid. More from Bloomberg Japan has offered to help Saudi Arabia build nuclear power stations to free up more oil for exports, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, but a visiting Japanese minister said he was not seeking a supply increase now. More from Reuters Salaries in the oil and gas sector soared across the Middle East last year, with
