Qatar stocks led losses in the Middle East as companies started reporting results across the region.
Profitability for lenders in the Gulf Arab region remains under pressure, with disruptions to trade and travel continuing to rattle the energy-rich region. Qatar National Bank QPSC, the Middle East’s biggest lender, reported last week a 16% drop in net income for 2020. Some banks in Oman also published results that showed a decline from last year. After the market closed on Sunday, Qatar Islamic Bank SAQ posted earnings that beat estimates.
The focus this week “will be on banks as they will be the first to report 4Q earnings in the United Arab Emirates,” said Harshjit Oza, head of research at Abu Dhabi-based International Securities. “We are expecting improved sequential performance in general for the sector.”
Doha’s QE Index fell 0.5%, the most in the region. Dubai’s DFM General Index dropped as much as 1.4%, before paring losses to 0.3% at close. Equity gauges in Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel and Egypt lost as much as 0.4%, while those in Abu Dhabi and Oman climbed as much as 0.3%.
Dividend-paying stocks will also be in the spotlight, Oza said, citing Abu Dhabi-based companies including Aldar Properties PJSC and First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC.
- In Riyadh, phone operators Mobily and Zain Saudi dropped 0.7% and 1% after the kingdom fined them on several matters, including making promotional offers in violation of rules
- Qatar National Bank, the Middle East’s biggest bank, fell 0.7% in Doha
- QNB’s margin may still decline 4-6 basis points in 2021 versus a 12 basis-point drag last year, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Edmond Christou and Philip Richards write in a note
- Kuwait’s Premier Market Index dropped 0.2%
- Kuwait’s long-term foreign currency debt rating affirmed by S&P Global Ratings at AA-, outlook remains negative
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