Fourteen Saudi shares buck downtrend on Wednesday
March 2, 2011--The Tadawul market dived 3.89% on Sunday, closing at 5,323.27. The decline at SABIC shares (off 0.87% at SR85.25) slowed down a bit, while Alinma Bank lost the most (down 3.80% at SR8.85).
Saudi Printing & Packaging Company surged nine percent to reach SR10.80. Fourteen shares gained and 131 lost value.
Source: AME Info
Kuwait Exchange dives 2.59% as Zain shares tumble
March 2, 2011--The KSE Market or Price Index ended on Wednesday 2.59% lower at 6,157.70. Mobile Telecommunications Co., known as Zain, plunged 5.88% to close at KD1.280.
Zain's rival Etisalat from Abu Dhabi failed to buy a 46%-stake in Zain as the major Kuwaiti shareholder Kharafi group eventually turned the offer down. The deal would have had a volume of $12bn.
Source: AME Info
Qatar Telecom discloses results, dips 3.60%
March 2, 2011--The Doha-based QE Index fell by 3.57% to close at 7,657.47. Shares of Qatar Telecom, known as Qtel, weakened 3.60% to close at QR144.60. Earlier in the day,
Qtel revealed a net profit of QR2.9bn in 2010 versus QR2.8bn in 2009. Islamic Insurance bucked the trend, gaining 2.84% to reach QR39.80.
Source: AME Info
Emirates Insurance Co. surges on 70% profit increase
March 2, 2011--The Abu Dhabi-based the ADX General Index declined 1.82% to close at 2,527.40. Investors continued to dump real estate shares as the sector index dived 7.35%.
Pharmaceutical producer Julphar from Ras al-Khaima gained 6.56% to reach Dhs1.95. Julphar was only outperformed by Emirates Insurance Co. (EIC, up 7.53% at Dhs6.00). Earlier in the day, EIC disclosed a full-year 2010 net profit of Dhs108.06m, a 70% increase compared to 2009. Aldar Properties were the most liquid shares, closing 9.29% to finish at Dhs1.26. Etisalat shares dipped 0.46%, closing at Dhs10.75 after it was announced that telecom provider Zain in Kuwait did not get green light from its shareholder for Etisalat's desire to buy 46% of Zina. Five shares gained, 26 declined and two ended flat.
Source: AME Info
Dubai GDP expected grow by up to 5% this year
March 2, 2011--Dubai's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has said the emirate's economy may grow by up to 5% this year, Gulf News has reported. "We expect 3% to 5% of real gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2011,"
Hamad Bu Amim, director general of DCCI said. "Service sectors, trading and logistics will see most growth," he noted. Dubai's economy, which accounts for almost a third of the UAE's overall output, grew 2.5% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2010, the emirate's statistics office head said in February.
Source: AME Info
Egyptian stock exchange rejects calls for manipulation of last week of trading
March 2, 2011--The Egyptian stock exchange has rejected calls from angry protesters to cancel trades made shortly before the bourse shut for a month, Reuters has reported.
Investors have demanded that trades in the last two days of business on January 26 and January 27, before the bourse was closed in the wake of anti-government protests, should be cancelled. "The public prosecutor has assured that there was no manipulating in the last week of trading (on the Egyptian bourse)," bourse head Khaled Serry Seyam said.
Source: AME Info
DGCX February volumes rise 17 % year-on-year to reach 210,330 contracts
Year-to-date (YTD) volume stands at 454,715 contracts, a 37 % increase on 2010
Average daily volume in February stands at 11,070 contracts, a 17% rise on last year
March 1, 2011--February volumes on the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) grew 17 % year-on-year to reach 210,330 contracts, valued at $10.07 billion. Year-to-date volume in 2011 also increased 37% on 2010 levels to reach 454,715 contracts.
Average daily volume (ADV) in the month of February reached 11,070 contracts, the second month in a row that the ADV has remained above 11,000, demonstrating the strength of the demand for DGCX’s products.
Consistent with recent trends, DGCX currency futures were the mainstay of trading activity in February accounting for 82% of total volumes. Currency futures volumes increased 28 % on last year to 172,181 contracts. Indian Rupee futures volumes in February reached 149,126 contracts, a substantial increase from 7,796 contracts in the same month last year. On February 22, Indian Rupee futures registered a new daily volume record of 12,499 contracts worth US $551.55 million surpassing the previous daily high of 11,968 contracts achieved on January 5, 2011.
Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar and Swiss Franc futures achieved volumes of 1,279, 244 and 1,050 contracts respectively while Euro/Dollar, Sterling/Dollar and Yen/Dollar saw volumes of 10,283, 9,405 and 794 contracts respectively.
DGCX Silver futures saw a strong rebound in February growing 67% on the previous month to reach 2,165 contracts. Gold declined 22% on last month to reach 31,122 contracts.
WTI crude oil futures increased 16% on last year to stand at 4,862 contracts. Year-to-date volumes of WTI crude also rose 23% to reach 10,456 contracts.
Source: Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange
Kuwait bourse re-opens, falls 2.46%
March 1, 2011--On its first trading day after the three-day National holiday which marked the liberation of the country from Iraqi occupation twenty years ago, the KSE Market Index plummeted 2.46%, closing at 6,321.4.
Last week, the index showed some form of stabilisation, but obviously too much selling pressure mounted during the last days when the market remained closed. Banks and food firms lost the most. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) lost 4.28%, finishing at KD1.340. Dar Al Thuraya Real Estate was the top gainer, closing 7.2% higher at KD0.052.
Source: AME Info
Kuwait bourse re-opens, falls 2.46%
March 1, 2011--On its first trading day after the three-day National holiday which marked the liberation of the country from Iraqi occupation twenty years ago, the KSE Market Index plummeted 2.46%, closing at 6,321.4.
Last week, the index showed some form of stabilisation, but obviously too much selling pressure mounted during the last days when the market remained closed. Banks and food firms lost the most. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) lost 4.28%, finishing at KD1.340. Dar Al Thuraya Real Estate was the top gainer, closing 7.2% higher at KD0.052.
Source: AME Info
Qatar Exchange advances 0.10%
March 1, 2011--Bank blue chips have lifted the Doha-based QE-Index higher by 0.10% to reach 7,940.90.
The gas-rich Gulf state's largest lender Qatar National Bank surged 1.02% to reach QR129.00 and Qatar Islamic Bank added 1.40%, closing at QR79.50. Doha Bank plunged 5.69%, closing at QR48.85.
Source: AME Info