MIDEAST STOCKS-Banks lift #Saudi index; #Qatar little changed - Reuters

MIDEAST STOCKS-Banks lift Saudi index; Qatar little changed - Reuters:

The Saudi Arabia stock market rose in early trade on Sunday, led by gains in financial shares.

The Saudi benchmark index firmed by 0.5%, with National Commercial Bank rising 1% and Saudi British Bank advancing 2.6%.

Elsewhere, petrochemicals investor Alujain Holding surged 7.6%, having reported last week that its second-quarter loss narrowed to 46.4 million riyals ($12.37 million) from a loss of 78.7 million riyals a year earlier.

In Qatar, the index slipped 0.1%, with lender Masraf Al Rayan down 0.8%.