Middle East ETF News Older than One Year
Kuwait Stock Exchange loses the third day straight
May 25. 2011--The KSE Market Index lost 0.64% on Wednesday, closing at 6,369.6 points.
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) ended flat at KD1.220. Gulf Investment House declined 7.24% to KD0.032. The insurance and industry sectors indices were the only composites which gained, adding 0.26% and 0.13%, respectively.
Source: AME Info
UAE stock markets remain under pressure
May 25, 2011--The local Dubai market DFM declined 1.16% to 1,526.39 points.
In Abu Dhabi the ADX General Index dipped 0.61% to 2,600.28 points. Abu Dhabi National Energy Co., known as Taqa, lost the most, closing off 4.84% at Dhs1.20. For Abu Dhabi National Takaful the only way remains upwards (gaining 9.90% at Dhs5.44%), despite rallying since the start of the week.
Source: AME Info
Tadawul market bucks regional downtrend
May 24, 2011--The Riyadh-based Tasi benchmark index added 0.12% to reach 6,710.71 points.
Emaar The Economic City was the most liquid share, losing 1.96% to close at SR7.50. AXA Cooperative Insurance Company surged limit-up by 9.90%, finishing at SR43.30. Seventy-eight stocks gained, 48 lost and 19 remained even.
Source: AME Info
Agility ends flat as first quarter profits decline by 45%
May 24, 2011--Kuwait's KSE Market Index closed half a percent lower at 6,410.6 points on Tuesday as regional market sentiment remained negative due to ongoing debt woes in Europe.
Shares of Agility Public Warehousing Co. finished even at KD0.375. Earlier in the day, Agility disclosed a first quarter net profit of KD9.15m, down from KD16.85m in the corresponding period in 2010.
Source: AME Info
Qatar Exchanges loses the third day straight
May 24, 2011--The Doha-based QE Index finished at 8,381.39 points on Tuesday (off 0.71%). All sectors landed in the red. A real estate expert in Doha who does not want to be named told AMEinfo.com that only few firms fire in Qatar and that 2011 will be a period of consolidation in the domestic economy.
Qatar National Bank (QNB) shares lost 1.78% to close at QR137.70. The QE issued a statement earlier in the day, saying "The Qatar Exchange expresses its satisfaction to see Qatari banks enter the exchange as members and start providing financial services activities, including brokerage, with QNB being the first bank to offer brokerage services at Qatar Exchange on Monday May 16th, 2011." But the financial sector took a setback as HSBC announced to quit its operations of HSBC Amanah, the Shari'ah finance division of the bank as a result of the Central Bank's decision to separate conventional and Islamic banking in the country. Conventional banks, such as HSBC, can no longer run Islamic windows.
Source: AME Info
Abu Dhabi bourse dips in dull trading
March 24, 2011--The ADX General Index lost 0.59% to close at 2,616.29 points.
Abu Dhabi National Takaful was once again the top gainer (up 10% at Dhs4.95). Abu Dhabi Ship Building lost the most (down 6.73% at Dhs2.08). Seven shares gained, 17 ended lower and five closed flat.
Source: AME Info
Emaar shares rebound one percent
May 24, 2011--The Dubai Financial Market General Index fell sharply during the first hours of trading but eventually recovered territory and ended 0.15% lower at 1,544.28 points.
Bargain hunters lifted Emaar Properties to Dhs3.07 (up 0.99%). Shares of Gulf General Investment Company (GGICO) still suffer from the firm's disclosure that it defaulted on a Dhs489 bank loan in the first quarter this year. GGICO dived six percent to Dhs0.31. DFM shares added 0.83%, closing at Dhs1.21. Some 145.64m stocks valued at Dhs177.61m changed hands.
Source: AME Info
MENA: Opportunities To Reshape Economic Playing Field
May 24, 2011--There are historic opportunities for greater openness and citizen participation in economies across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that, if strongly managed over the transitions ahead, could see a significant boost to economic growth and living standards in the medium term.
This is the analysis presented today in the World Bank’s Regional Economic Outlook: MENA Facing Challenges and Opportunities. The report notes that current economic disruption in many MENA countries is translating into lower growth in the short term (now forecast at 3.6 percent for 2011 down from 5 percent) but that opportunities in the medium term offer new hope for an inclusive and sustainable development that has not before been seen in the region.
"The rich experience from countries that have undergone political changes suggest that short-term disruptions to economic growth and social tensions are inevitable,” said Shamshad Akhtar, World Bank Vice President for the MENA region. “However, transition offers an opportunity for countries to break with the past and set course in a newer direction. A first order of priority is to offer the right signals to restore public and private investor confidence which, in MENA, calls for ensuring respect and citizen dignity through inclusive social policies, a fundamental change in governance frameworks and swiftly restoring macroeconomic stability."
Source: World Bank
Kuwait Economic Brief - May 2011
'Flash crash' sees commodity sell-off in early May; FY10/11 budget could see KD 4–5 billion surplus…
May 24, 2011--Oil prices
After showing continued strength through most of April, oil prices suffered a ‘flash crash’ in early May, eliminating all of the gains made during the previous two months. The price of Kuwait Export Crude (KEC) dropped from a peak of $119 per barrel (pb) at the end of April to $100 pb on 6th May, including a drop of $12 pb – or 10% - in one day on the 6th. Similar price falls were seen among other benchmark crudes.
The price of both Brent crude – the main European blend – and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) were off $16-17 from their late April highs, with the latter falling back below the $100 mark, to $97.
The declines were part of a broader sell-off among commodities, which saw, for example, the price of silver fall by 26% in just over a week. There appears to have been no single cause for the rout, with analysts citing a number of contributing factors. A few factors, cited after the fact, were: a decline in the commodity risk premium in light of more stable geopolitics in the MENA region; a sudden shift in sentiment towards the US dollar, requiring a fall in prices to re-stabilize the market in foreign currency terms; and the risk of high prices triggering ‘demand destruction’, part fuelled by new figures showing declining US petrol demand.
view report-Kuwait Economic Brief - May 2011
Source: GulfBase
Gulf investors see value in developed markers
May 24, 2011--Middle East investors are looking west for investment opportunities as financial crises in developed markets such as Europe create more value plays, a study released by US-based fund manager Invesco showed. Growth in emerging markets have been strong in the last year but investors are increasingly looking towards markets where investment have been under pressure.
A lot of investors are looking back to the developed market where they are seeing good value. If you look at the prices in Western Europe, for instance, they're cheap," Nick Tolchard, head of Invesco Middle East told reporters at a conference to launch the study yesterday. Gulf-based sovereign wealth funds, however, have not abandoned regional and local investments despite the widespread political unrest, according to Tolchard.
The political crises might mean short-term concerns but investors in the region, like sovereign wealth funds, are taking a more sensible long-term returns approach. There still appears to be a great deal of confidence. At least, there is no more cautiousness then there was last year," he said.
Source: Kuwait Times
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