Is the US economy bound for recession?

US stocks have rebounded from an end-of-year lull, but many are forecasting a recession on the horizon. Complicating the US outlook is President Donald Trump's ongoing government shutdown and frayed trade relations with China.

What are all the factors driving a negative US outlook? Economic analyst Omar Al-Ubaydli gives his take to host Chris Nelson in this week's episode of the Business Extra podcast. Listen here:

Also discussed in this episode:

• We speak with The National's Kelsey Warner about the positives coming out of the region. Adnoc is among the top 10 most influential companies and organisations in the energy sector, the only company in the Middle East with this distinction. Adnoc also expects to increase unconventional gas discoveries.

• The UAE economy is expected to the buck the World Bank's pessimistic global GDP outlook. Is this driven by the optimistic country's outlook in the non-oil economy?

• Bahrain introduces VAT. How big an impact will this have on the country's economy?