GCC Stocks Close Mixed as Dubai Jumps and Abu Dhabi Extends Rally

Dubai | EcoPulse24

Gulf stock markets ended Thursday's session with mixed performance, as strong gains in the UAE's equity markets offset declines in Qatar and Kuwait, while Saudi Arabia closed marginally higher.

Dubai equities led the region's advance, supported by broad-based buying and improved risk sentiment following easing geopolitical concerns and lower energy-market volatility.

Dubai Posts Strongest Gain in the Gulf

Dubai's benchmark index climbed 2.51% to close at 6,269.51 points, marking the strongest performance among major Gulf markets.

The rally reflected renewed investor appetite for risk assets and extended the market's recent momentum, with buying interest spreading across multiple sectors.

Abu Dhabi Extends Its Advance

The ADX General Index rose 1.17% to 10,113.48 points, extending gains above the psychologically important 10,000-point level.

The performance came amid continued investor confidence in large-cap companies and improving market sentiment across UAE equities.

Saudi Arabia Edges Higher

Saudi Arabia's Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) added 0.06% to close at 11,121.13 points.

The modest gain suggested a more cautious trading environment, as investors balanced easing geopolitical risks against expectations for global monetary policy and the outlook for energy markets.

Qatar and Kuwait Under Pressure

In contrast, regional peers closed lower.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Index declined 0.61% to 10,510.92 points, while Boursa Kuwait also lost 0.61%, ending the session at 8,760.16 points.

The declines made Qatar and Kuwait the weakest performers among the region's major equity markets during the session.

Market Performance

EcoPulse24 Analysis

The session highlighted an increasingly differentiated performance across Gulf equity markets.

UAE stocks significantly outperformed regional peers, with Dubai delivering a broad-based rally and Abu Dhabi extending its gains beyond the 10,000-point threshold. The move suggests investors are becoming more comfortable re-entering risk assets as geopolitical concerns ease and expectations of lower energy-driven inflation improve.

Meanwhile, the weaker performance in Qatar and Kuwait indicates that investor positioning across the Gulf remains selective rather than uniformly bullish.

The divergence also suggests that capital is increasingly favoring markets with stronger liquidity, larger institutional participation and greater exposure to sectors expected to benefit from improving global risk sentiment.