LATEST: Dubai to close schools on Thursday and Friday due to expected storm
Heavy rainfall, thunder and lightning are forecast for parts of the UAE this week.
The National Centre of Meteorology said stormy weather would hit parts of the country from Wednesday night until Thursday evening.
“[There will be] moderate to heavy rain in scattered areas with lightning and thunder at times, with the possibility of some hail, starting in the west on Wednesday night and extending over most regions of the country on Thursday,” the NCM said, according to state news agency Wam.
The NCM also said winds would reach speeds of 65kph on Thursday.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority has held meetings to prepare for the expected weather.
The authority said, on X, that it was “studying and evaluating the weather conditions and their implications for areas that may be affected”.
Strict adherence to safety protocols was essential, said NCEMA, especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
But NCM meteorologist Esraa Al-Naqbi told The National the current weather affecting the country is typical and does not compare with the storm that wreaked havoc in April.
She said that, in contrast, the weather is just a single wave beginning on Wednesday evening which is set to cover the entire country on Thursday. It has been classified as moderate while the previous storm was considered moderate to strong.
Abu Dhabi could see thunder and lightning, along with heavy rain from around 7am on Thursday, May 2, according to weather app Windy.
The highest temperature expected this week in the capital was on Tuesday when it is expected to reach 38°C.
Thunder and lightning were forecast for Dubai on Thursday from around 10am to 4pm, Windy forecasts.
There were reports of rain falling in some parts of the UAE on Sunday, with a yellow weather alert issued for areas including Dubai and Fujairah.
Heavy rain was reported in parts of Dubai on Sunday including Saih Al Salam, as well as light rain earlier in Al Ain and Al Shuwaib area in Abu Dhabi.
Social media videos from Sharjah News and Storm Centre showed heavy rainfall in parts of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah while parts of Ajman saw light showers.
Ras Al Khaimah experienced strong hail and rain with running waters visible in the valleys of the emirate.
News of the expected heavy rain comes as the UAE recovers from stormy weather on April 16, which brought much of the country to a standstill.
Additional reporting by Salam Al Amir
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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