Regional markets witnessed sideways, range bound trading activity over the past week, which can be mainly attributed to summer vacations and concerns regarding the geopolitical scene. The weekly performance for regional markets did however shift towards gainers, with six out of the eight indices ended the week positively while only two were in the negative territory.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi indices both ended the week up by 0.9% and 0.3% respectively, while Saudi and Egypt were both down by 1.2% and 0.8% respectively over the same period. Oil was the star of the week, with weekly gains exceeding 9%, recording the best performance week for the commodity since the beginning of 2017 and breaking the $50 mark to reach $52.52 per barrel on Friday.
On the fundamental side, the earnings season is still on, with investors waiting for big caps results to be out soon—Emaar and SABIC being on top of the list. The Arab bloc is to meet today in Manama to further discuss the geopolitical situation in the region and if any solution is to be reached, it should have an effect on all the eight main regional indices and put an end to the summer doldrums.
Al Masah Capital is one of the fastest growing alternative asset management and advisory firms focused on the MENA and SEA regions. Established in 2010, Al Masah Capital provides tailoured solutions to a broad investor base, offering private equity advisory (across healthcare, education, F&B, logistics, and other consumer-driven sectors), asset management, corporate and real estate advisory, as well as public market research services.
With operations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Singapore, Al Masah advises qualifying investors on growth opportunities in 13 focus markets in MENA and South East Asia.
