MIDEAST STOCKS- #Kuwait leads most of Gulf higher; #Qatar retreats - Reuters

MIDEAST STOCKS-Kuwait leads most of Gulf higher; Qatar retreats - Reuters:

Most Gulf stock markets ended higher on
Monday with Kuwait leading the gains on the back of a broad
increase in shares in its index, while Qatar's was hit by
first-half losses from Qatar Insurance Company. 

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index added 0.3%, bolstered
by a 0.6% gain in Saudi Aramco and a 1% rise in Saudi
Basic Industries.

But Yamama Cement declined 1.8% as the company
reported a fall in second-quarter net profit.

In Kuwait, the index advanced 1.7%, buoyed by a 3.5%
jump in National Bank of Kuwait.

News about the health of the Emir of Kuwait, who is in the
United States for medical treatment, is "very reassuring,"
parliament speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim said on Sunday in a
statement on the parliament's Twitter account.

The Qatar index slipped 0.3%, hit by a 4.2% slide in
Qatar Insurance after the company reported a net loss
of 207.8 million riyals ($57.06 million) in the first half,
compared with a profit of 409.9 million riyals a year ago.