Middle East ETF News Older than One Year
Agthia shares up and away as sales boost H1 profit
July 30, 2013--The ADX General Index closed 0.40% higher at 3,822.40 points on Tuesday.
Agthia Group PJSC, one of the UAE’s biggest food and beverage groups, soared 1.83% to hit Dhs3.34. Agthia achieved in the first six months a net profit of Dhs87m, an increase of 56 percent from a year earlier, "due to higher sales and improved margins," the firm said in an e-mailed statement. Abu Dhabi National Hotels lost the most (down 9.24% at Dhs2.16). Some 123m shares worth Dhs258m changed hands.
Source: AME Info
IMF United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues Report
July 30, 2013--MACROPRUDENTIAL POLICY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
A. Introduction
1. The global financial crisis triggered major changes in the approach to financial regulation with the recognition that in order to ensure macroeconomic stability, economic
policy has to include financial stability as an additional objective.
The crisis highlighted the need for a better understanding of macrofinancial linkages and underscored the importance of macroprudential policies in addition to microprudential regulation and supervision, as well as strong fiscal and monetary policy frameworks.
A general goal of macroprudential policy is to limit the risk of systemwide distress that has significant macroeconomic costs (Borio and Drehmann, 2009). The other major objective is to strengthen the resilience of the financial system to shocks. It is important to note that macroprudential policy complements but does not substitute for sound microprudential and macroeconomic policies.
2. In small open economies with fixed exchange rate regimes in particular, risks are not easily contained by traditional monetary policy instruments. Instead, they require more targeted prudential intervention that acts more directly to constrain excessive credit and leverage as well as exposure to aggregate shocks, such as changes in exchange rates and asset prices. The challenge of containing financial risks is exacerbated in commodity-based economies that are subject to potentially large swings in commodity prices, thus the use of macroprudential tools can be particularly helpful.
view the IMF United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues Report
Source: IMF
Kuwait bourse drops on post-election day
July 29, 2013--The KSE Market Index fell 0.38% to 8,080.18 points on Monday, the day after a new parliament was elected in the Northern Gulf state.
Yesterday's pols saw Shia deputies losing more than half of their seats, while liberals made slight gains. Shares of National Bank of Kuwait lost KD0.10, closing at KD0.910. Alnawadi Holding gained the most (up 8.47% at KD0.128).
Source: AME Info
Dubai property boom boosts Emaar Q2 profit
July 29, 2013--At the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), shares of market heavyweight Emaar Properties, builder of the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa (828 meters) gained 0.17% on Monday, closing at Dhs5.74.
After the DFM's closing bell, Emaar said it clocked in the first half 0f 2013 a net profit of Dhs1.231bn ($335.7m), up 1% year on year. The Q2 net income amounted to Dhs675m ($184m), up 10 percent year on year, and 21 percent higher quarter on quarter. The divisions hospitality, leisure, shopping malls and retail businesses of Emaar contributed 45 percent to the group's total revenues of Dhs2.326bn ($633m). Mohammed Alabbar, chairman Emaar, said "The remarkable gains made by these three core businesses (real estate, hospitality, retail business) also underscore Emaar’s contribution to the socio-economic growth of Dubai by catalysing the key economic sectors including retail, hospitality, tourism and construction." Emaar shares posted an 80.61% 12-month return.
Source: AME Info
Egypt reports 2.2% GDP growth in Q2
July 28, 2013--Egyptian finance ministry has said the second quarter of 2013 saw a 2.2% growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), Daily News Egypt has reported.
The increase, however, was less than the first quarter, which saw an increase of 2.4% of the GDP, the ministry said. "Between May and July 2013, the budget deficit rose to 11.8% to reach EGP204.9bn, compared with EGP136.5bn during the same period last year," it said. "In addition, it is expected that the budget deficit reaches 9.1% as a percentage of GDP during the fiscal year budget 2014/2013, to become approximately EGP186bn," the ministry said in its report.
Source: AME Info
CFTC Announces that Mandatory Clearing of iTraxx CDS Indices for Category 2 Entities Begins Today
July 25, 2013--The Division of Clearing and Risk (Division) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission) announces that the second phase of required clearing for certain iTraxx credit default swap (CDS) indices begins today for Category 2 Entities.
Category 2 Entities include commodity pools, private funds, and persons predominantly engaged in activities that are in the business of banking, or in activities that are financial in nature, except for third-party subaccounts. These entities are required to begin clearing iTraxx CDS indices that are subject to the clearing requirement under section 2(h) of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and Regulations 50.2 and 50.4(b) executed on or after July 25, 2013.
Source: AME Info
Tadawul bourse, SABIC finish the week flat
July 25, 2013--The Tadawul All-Share Index closed on Thursday insignificantly lower at 7,770.45 points.
Market breadth turned in to the red as 44 shares advanced while 95 declined. The world's first producer of petrochemicals (and metals) Sabic closed unchanged at SR93.50. Islamic insurance firm Al Jazira Takaful gained the most (up 9.93% at SR16.05). Gulf Union Cooperative Insurance Company posted the biggest drop (off 7.31% at SR27.90).
Source: AME Info
CBQ shares under pressure as provisions weigh on Q2 profit
July 25, 2013--The Qatar Exchange 20 Index gained 0.46% to reach 9,694.70 points on Thursday.
Market bellwethers Industries Qatar and Qatar National Bank (QNB) gained 0.95% and 0.49%, respectively. Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ) fell 1.28% to QR69.40. Earlier in the day, the gas-rich gulf state's second lender said the half-year net profit was QR1.024bn, up 1% against the same period in 2012. Net profit for the second quarter of 2013 was up by 2.5% to QR518m compared with the first quarter of 2013. However, year-on-year the Q2 net income was down 5.6%, reflecting a rise in provisions. "The bank’s net provisions for loans and advances were QR194m for the six months ended 30 June 2013, up from QR32m provided in the same period for 2012," said CBQ. "Net provisions and non-performing loans have been impacted in the second quarter of 2013 by a prudential provision taken on a domestic real estate loan; the first half of 2012 included the recovery of provisions of QR89m."
Source: AME Info
Sharjah Islamic Bank soars as CI affirms financial strength ratings
July 25, 2013--The Abu Dhabi bourse advanced 0.85% to reach 3,899.82 points on Thursday.
Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) jumped 2.74%, closing at Dhs1.50. Capital Intelligence (CI) said earlier in the day that it has maintained SIB's financial strength rating at 'BBB+', "with SIB's exceptionally sound capital adequacy ratio (CAR) and good liquidity being major supporting factors." The bank's outlook was 'stable', said CI. Shares of Etisalat added Dhs0.05 to hit Dhs12, a 2.5-month high. United Arab Bank lost the most, ending off 5.36% at Dhs5.30.
Source: AME Info
Du half-year results affirm share price rally
July 25, 2013--Despite negative input from sluggish Asian markets, the Dubai market index DFMGI rose 0.16% to close at on Thursday.
Emaar gained 0.70% to hit Dhs5.74. Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Co., known and branded as Du, closed 0.45% higher at Dhs6.73. Earlier in the day, the UAE's second telecom operator said it recorded in the second quarter a net profit of Dhs473.9m (up 45.58% year-on-year), while half-year net income increased by 43% to reach Dhs941.81m. Du shares rose a whopping 127% in the last 12 months. The DFM saw some 380m shares being traded today, valued at Dhs576.6m. GGICO posted the largest loss, finishing off 2.90% at Dhs0.504.
Source: AME Info
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