Commodities grab investor's attention in GCC countries By James Smith 02-Aug-2010
Commodities are a key theme for investors based in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries – Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Oman – with several UK groups offering flagship funds to these markets.

Weekly diary: US news overshadows GCC stock market By Trustnet Correspondent 02-Jul-2010
The GCC stock market fell by 3.1 per cent with UAE's DFM stockmarket losing 4.5 per cent, the maximum amongst the six bourses.

Weekly diary: All eyes on the US By Trustnet Correspondent 25-Jun-2010
On a macro note, nothing much has happened this week in terms of regional market action. The world is waiting anxiously about the Chicago Purchasing Managers' index (PMI), which will highlight if the US economy is likely to fall in to another recession.

Weekly diary: Oil, regional equity markets rise By Trustnet Correspondent 18-Jun-2010
The oil price bounce back and some continued upward momentum in regional equity markets dominated this week.

Weekly diary: Oil prices lift Gulf equities By Trustnet Correspondent 11-Jun-2010
Regional stock markets wittnessed a good rally in the week, led by Saudi Arabia which gained close to two per cent. The rally in Gulf equities was largely due to oil prices which bounced back sharply to touch $76 a barrel on Thursday.

Weekly diary: Mixed week for GCC stocks, oil steady By Trustnet Correspondent 04-Jun-2010
GCC stocks finished up despite falls earlier in the week. With oil holding steady at $74 a barrel and global market not losing any further ground, there was no catalyst for the regional stocks to make a decisive move.

Weekly diary: Market differences highlighted By Trustnet Correspondent 28-May-2010
Between oil prices and debt negotiations, a study by Invesco highlighted some key investor attitudes across the GCC.

Weekly diary: Oil prices continue to fall By Trustnet Correspondent 21-May-2010
This week regional investors were shocked by the continued fall in oil prices amid concerns the Europe's financial crisis may stifle global economic recovery.

Weekly diary: GCC leaders attend half-yearly Riyadh summit By Trustnet Correspondent 17-May-2010
The beginning of the week started on a positive note as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) finance ministers agreed to abolish customs tariffs on steel and cement.

Weekly diary: Oil prices, Dow's drop overshadows regional markets By Trustnet Correspondent 07-May-2010
Most of the regional traders remained nervous as the Dow lost 1,000 points, on an intra-day basis last Thursday.

Weekly diary: Lacklustre week for regional markets By Trustnet Correspondent 30-Apr-2010
Gulf stock markets seemed to waiting for a trigger to make a move either way, despite reasonably strong first-quarter results.

Weekly diary: Gulf bourses show a lack of direction By Trustnet Correspondent 23-Apr-2010
A rather lacklustre week, with a bit of profit taking occurring on the Gulf’s bourses. It seems the regional stock markets are searching for a key catalyst for a further move up.

Weekly diary: Liquidity up in region By Trustnet Correspondent 09-Apr-2010
Events seem to be rotating around Middle Eastern markets currently.

Weekly diary: Dubai World debt plans preoccupy markets By Trustnet Correspondent 19-Mar-2010
The key macro driver for the week was the debt plan for Dubai World (DW).

Weekly diary: Oil rises, Saudi company repays bond By Trustnet Correspondent 12-Mar-2010
The week started on a good note. It came as a relief to most investors when Dar Al-Arkan, Saudi Arabia's biggest property developer by market value, said it had repaid an Islamic bond, or sukuk, worth $600m.

Weekly diary: Focus on Qatar, Moody's downgrades By Trustnet Correspondent 05-Mar-2010
The focus, at the start of the week, was on Qatar with IQCD reporting it's fourth quarter results. Leading petrochemicals and metals company, Industries Qatar, blamed weaker commodity prices, new regional capacity and a decline in US demand through 2009 after posting fourth quarter net profit below analysts' estimates.

S&P warns of "challenging times" ahead for Gulf banks By Trustnet Correspondent 26-Feb-2010
Overall a muted week for stocks and regional economies. However, announcements from ratings agencies came thick and fast.

Weekly diary: Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia and Oman By Trustnet Correspondent 19-Feb-2010
This week the economies of Saudi Arabia and Oman were upgraded by Moody’s Investor Service, citing strong public finances in both the countries. Both countries have withstood volatile oil prices and the global recession.

Weekly diary: Emaar reports, CBK cuts key discount rate By Trustnet Correspondent 15-Feb-2010
Muted week in the Gulf, however, Emaar Properties, a leading Gulf property developer, swung to a fourth-quarter net profit, helped by income from its hospitality units.

Weekly diary: Saudi tops HSBC survey By Trustnet Correspondent 05-Feb-2010
The week started on a positive note, with the release of an HSBC report entitled "Global Small Business Confidence Monitor." The report surveyed more than 6,000 enterprises in 20 key markets, out of which, Saudi Arabia's smaller business sector was most promising.

Weekly diary: Earnings season continues By Trustnet Correspondent 29-Jan-2010
Two of the regional heavyweights, Batelco and Arab Banking Corporation reported earnings late in the week. Batelco Group, the largest telecommunications provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain, reported its highest-ever net profit of BD105m ($278.5m) for last year.

Weekly diary: SABIC lifted by sales and commodities prices By Trustnet Correspondent 22-Jan-2010
Fourth quarter results dominate this week. The Middle East's largest listed company, Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) net profit surged to Saudi Riyals (SR) 4.58bn ($1.22bn) in the fourth quarter compared with SR318.2m a year earlier, lifted by higher sales and commodities prices.

Weekly diary: Abu Dhabi shows interest in Dubai's assets By Trustnet Correspondent 15-Jan-2010
Aabar, the Abu Dhabi government-owned investment group, announced that it plans to buy 70 per cent of Dubai-based Arabtec in a deal valued at AED6.4bn. This move highlights the ongoing interest Abu Dhabi has in Dubai's assets.

Weekly diary: Saudi in focus By Trustnet Correspondent 08-Jan-2010
Forecasts for the Saudi economy and Dubai take centre stage this week.

Weekly diary: Abu Dhabi bailout By Trustnet Correspondent 18-Dec-2009
Dubai markets bounced back to a certain extent this week, with the help of a $10bn bailout for Dubai World from Abu Dhabi.

Debt burden and unemployment still trouble US By James Smith 15-Dec-2009
The US was widely tipped to lead the world out of recession earlier this year, but concerns of a massive debt burden and rising unemployment continue to linger.

Weekly diary: Downgrades hit several Dubai-based banks By Trustnet Correspondent 11-Dec-2009
Downgrades as well as a dramatic fall in house prices, rocked Dubai this week.

Weekly diary: Dubai still in focus By Trustnet Correspondent 04-Dec-2009
Dubai still remains the global focus of attention this week, as the government responds to the crisis.

Japan in the doldrums By James Smith 04-Dec-2009
After a 50 per cent rally from March lows, the Japanese market is in the doldrums once again and looks set to be among the few regions ending the year in negative territory.

Weekly diary: Global markets hit by Dubai woes By Trustnet Correspondent 27-Nov-2009
Dubai has been the centre of attention this week, our Trustnet correspondent takes a look at unfolding events.

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