Published On 4/6/2026
The performance of Gulf stock markets varied at the close, today, Thursday, as investors awaited developments in the negotiations between the United States and Iran, at a time when the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon raised hopes for the possibility of reaching broader understandings that would ease regional tensions.
This came after a joint statement issued by the US State Department following talks that took place in Washington, stressing that consolidating the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon requires Hezbollah to completely stop firing and remove its members from the south of the Litani River.
Optimism also increased in the markets after US President Donald Trump indicated, on Wednesday, the possibility of progress in negotiations with Iran by early next week.
On the other hand, a state of caution remained in control of transactions after the Iranian attack on Kuwait and the subsequent damage to the airport and injuries among civilians, in addition to the American raids near the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahmed Asiri, an economist at Pepperstone, said that the markets have refocused their attention on developments related to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz after a period of declining tensions and relative progress in the course of negotiations, indicating that investors are still dealing with caution in the regional scene.
Saudi market
The main index of the Saudi market declined by 0.1%, affected by a decline in the shares of the National Bank of Saudi Arabia, the largest bank in the Kingdom in terms of assets, by 0.5%, in addition to a decline in Saudi Aramco shares by 0.4%.
Kingdom Holding Company shares also fell by 5%, after a previous wave of rise driven by increasing investor bets on the approaching initial public offering of SpaceX, in which the company owns a stake.
This coincided with a decline in oil prices, as Brent crude futures fell by $3.05, or 3.1%, to $94.76 per barrel.
Qatar and the Emirates
In Qatar, the main index fell by 0.6%, with the share of Qatar National Bank, the largest bank in the Gulf, falling by 1.1%.
The main index of the Dubai Financial Market rose by 0.6%, supported by gains in Emaar Properties shares, while the Abu Dhabi Securities Market index ended its trading stable, without significant change.
Other Gulf markets
The Bahraini index fell by 0.1% to close at 1,982 points, while the Omani index fell by 0.2% to 7,657 points.
In contrast, the Kuwaiti index rose by 0.3% to close at 9,224 points.
Outside the Gulf region, the leading stock index on the Egyptian Stock Exchange rose by 0.2% at the close.
