Qatar: Industrial production rises tepidly in January
Latest reading: Industrial production rose 0.7% in annual terms in January, following a 0.9% decrease in the previous month.
Relative to the prior month’s data, readings in January improved for energy (+1.4% in annual terms vs -1.1% in December)—about 80% of industrial production—and worsened for manufacturing (-1.7% vs -0.7% in December)—about 15% of industrial production.
Outlook: In March, Qatar further delayed the start of its project to ramp up liquified natural gas (LNG) output to 2027, with a potentially longer pause on the cards if the Iran war continues. Attacks by Iran recently forced Qatar to halt all output of liquified natural gas, with damage to LNG facilities expected to hurt output of the fuel for around 20% for up to five years.