Egypt's bourse gains as weak oil keeps most Gulf markets jittery

Wednesday 19-11-2014 04:22 PM
Egypt's bourse gains as weak oil keeps most Gulf markets jittery

A trader watches his monitor at the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

By

By Olzhas Auyezov

DUBAI, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Weak oil prices and global equities kept most Gulf stock markets jittery on Wednesday, although a glut of upbeat news lifted Qatar's bourse to an eight-week high.

Shares were down in Europe and Asia and crude prices remained near 4-year lows on signs of disagreement between OPEC members before a meeting next week.

Dubai's index erased early-session gains to end 0.9 percent lower as most stocks declined. Low-cost carrier Air Arabia was one of a few gainers, jumping 2.1 percent after it announced a $230 million deal with Dubai Islamic Bank to finance the purchase of six new Airbus A320 aircraft in 2015.

Local and regional investors were net sellers, according to bourse data.

Abu Dhabi's benchmark, up 0.6 percent at one stage, closed 0.1 percent lower as telecom operator Etisalat fell 0.9 percent.

Saudi Arabia's bourse eked out a 0.1 gain after flitting between black and red zones throughout the day. The petrochemical sector index slipped 0.4 percent.

"Unless oil prices find a floor, the Saudi market will remain jittery," said Shakeel Sarwar, head of asset management at Securities & Investment Co (SICO) in Bahrain.

"It may continue for some time," he said, adding that as the region's biggest market Saudi Arabia affects other Gulf bourses.

 

QATAREGYPT

Qatar's bourse was resilient, rising 0.7 percent to an eight-week closing high of 13,901 points in a broad rally following a string of positive news.

A week after world soccer body FIFA said Qatar would keep the right to host the 2022 World Cup, Doha was selected as host city for the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships on Tuesday, a move certain to encourage more government spending on infrastructure.

And at the end of last week, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to return their ambassadors to Qatar, signalling an end to an eight-month rift over Doha's support for Islamist groups.

Elsewhere in the region, Egypt's main index rose 0.5 percent as the market further recovered from a profit-taking bout and some stocks displayed a delayed reaction to third-quarter earnings.

Carpet maker Oriental Weavers was one of the main supports, surging 6.1 percent to 52.00 pounds. It reported a 5.8 percent rise in third-quarter profit last week.

According to NBK Capital, which rated the stock as a "buy" with a target price of 56.00 pounds, excluding the impact of provisions and foreign exchange losses, net income would have increased by around 60 percent.

 

WEDNESDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

 

DUBAI

* The index fell 0.9 percent to 4,551 points.

 

ABU DHABI

* The index fell 0.1 percent to 4,936 points.

 

QATAR

* The index rose 0.7 percent to 13,901 points.

 

SAUDI ARABIA

* The index rose 0.1 percent to 9,384 points

 

EGYPT

* The index rose 0.5 percent at 9,220 points

 

KUWAIT

* The index fell 0.4 percent to 7,025 points.

OMAN

* The index rose 0.2 percent to 7,046 points.

BAHRAIN

* The index fell 0.2 percent at 1,449 points. (Editing by Matt Smith)

facebook comments