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Most Gulf bourses fall as investors fear global recession

City, Town, Urban Creative Commons
Dubai's main share index lost 1.9 percent, dragged down by a 2.8 percent fall for blue-chip developer Emaar Properties
  • Euro zone inflation hit another record high in June
  • Saudi Arabia fell 0.9% as oil giant Aramco slipped 1.3%
  • Dubai’s main share index declined 1.4% as Emaar slid 3.3%

Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Monday, extending losses as investors remained worried about a global recession.

Figures on Friday showed euro zone inflation hit yet another record high in June, firming the case for rapid European Central Bank rate hikes starting this month. US consumer sentiment hit a record low in June.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index fell 0.9 percent, hit by a 5.3 percent slide in Sahara International Petrochemical and a 1.3 percent fall in oil behemoth Saudi Aramco.

“The fear of a global economic slowdown is impacting investors’ expectations and could push the market further down especially if oil prices decline further,” Wael Makarem, senior market strategist at Exness, said.

Dubai’s main share index declined 1.4 percent, dragged down by a 3.3 percent drop in blue-chip developer Emaar Properties and a 2.3 percent decrease in Emirates NBD Bank.

Emirati supermarket chain Union Coop on Friday announced its intention to list shares on the Dubai stock market on July 18.

In Abu Dhabi, equities dropped 0.4 percent, with the country’s biggest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank losing 0.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates is doubling the financial support it provides for low-income Emirati families to 28 billion dirhams ($7.6 billion) to help them with soaring living costs in the Gulf state.

It was not immediately clear how the expansion of financial support would be funded. UAE is a major oil-producing nation.

The Qatari index fell 0.5 percent, driven down by a 2.1 percent decline in the Gulf’s biggest lender Qatar National Bank.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt’s blue-chip index tumbled 3.6 percent, hitting its lowest in more than 2 years. All the stocks on the index were in negative territory including top lender Commercial International Bank.

Selling pressure in Egypt came from both international and local investors, which could exacerbate the decline, Makarem said.

SAUDI ARABIA fell 0.9 percent to 11,358

ABU DHABI lost 0.4 percent to 9,305

DUBAI down 1.4 percent to 3,158

QATAR dropped 0.5 percent to 12,217

EGYPT lost 3.6 percent to 8,686

BAHRAIN was up 0.5 percent to 1,875

OMAN added 0.2 percent to 4,116

KUWAIT eased 0.2 percent to 8,313