Merged U.A.E. Banking Giant Seen Earning Bigger MSCI Weighting - Bloomberg

Merged U.A.E. Banking Giant Seen Earning Bigger MSCI Weighting - Bloomberg:

"A mega-merger of the two biggest banks in the United Arab Emirates should leave the combined company with a larger representation on the benchmark emerging-market index, triggering hundreds of millions of dollars of inflows to the stock, according to calculations by EFG-Hermes strategists. Thursday marks the last day of trading in First Gulf Bank PJSC before its combination with National Bank of Abu Dhabi PJSC in a deal that creates the biggest financial institution in the country. The combined entity starts trading on April 2, with FGB stock holders receiving 1.254 shares for each one they own before the merger. While FGB’s last trading day is likely to see foreign investors selling out of the stock, this should more than reverse over time for the combined company as it reaches liquidity benchmarks in 2018, said Mohamad Al Hajj, a Dubai-based equity strategist at EFG Hermes. The enlarged bank, trading as National Bank of Abu Dhabi, could gain an MSCI Emerging Markets Index weighting of 0.18 percent, once a liquidity factor adjustment is removed, compared with the banks’ combined 0.1 percent right after the merger, he said."



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