Gulf stock markets, except Qatar and Oman, fell on Monday pulled down primarily by depreciating value of real state company shares, in the case of UAE, which have been reeling from the recent debt structuring announcement by Dubai World. Concerns on the outcome of corporate results for the fourth quarter compounded the negative sentiment. Saudi Arabia's Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) fell 0.99 percent to close on 6,246.50 on Monday. It closed 0.33 percent up on Sunday at 6,309.05 points. All sectors ended lower, led by the insurance sector, which dropped 1.66 percent. Arab National Bank had the day's biggest loss, down 3.64 percent to SR45, while Red Sea Housing had the biggest rise, climbing 1.58 percent to SR64.50. Overall 112 stocks fell, while 11 ended higher. Shares in Dubai's giant property developer Emaar dropped the maximum-allowed 10 percent on Monday as stocks in the United Arab Emirates took a fresh tumble over Dubai's debt woes. The Dubai exchange slumped 5.84 percent and Abu Dhabi's market dropped 1.68 percent, after both on Sunday had recovered some of the heavy losses they sustained last week. Emaar, developer of the world's tallest building, Burj Dubai, led the downward charge on the Dubai Financial Market. Emaar shares dropped the maximum 10 percent. The company's shares had closed 3.55 percent up on Sunday, following heavy losses last week. By its close the DFM had settled at 1,744.83 points, a day after a rise of 1.18 percent, to 1,853.13 points. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange dropped to 2,628.24 points at the close of trading on Monday, a day after having closed up a hefty 3.89 percent at 2,673.12 points. Wadah Taha, chief investment officer at the Dubai-based Zarooni Group, attributed the continued troubles in the two exchanges to the lack of information on developments regarding the debt-laden Dubai World conglomerate. “I think the fear is still there, the fear which affects the market sentiment and investor psychology,” Taha said. “The main fear today is due to the meeting between Nakheel and its creditors,” he said. Nakheel, which is part of Dubai World, is reportedly to meet with its creditors this week to discuss rescheduling its debts. There is also a lack of clarity regarding which banks and companies are exposed to Dubai World, Taha said. “The picture needs to be more clear, more transparency is required,” he said. “The volatility of both markets will remain high unless we deal with the issue of transparency.” The Kuwaiti stock market was likewise down, closing 0.79-percent lower, at 6,678.9 points, while Bahrain's small exchange dropped slightly, closing at minus 0.07 percent. However, bucking the trend, Qatar and Oman's stock markets were up on Monday. Qatar's exchange rose 1.06 percent, closing at 7,132.26 points, while Oman's market went up 0.32 percent, to close at 6,302.170 points. Both the Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets suffered heavy losses last week over Dubai's debt troubles. The Dubai index plunged 12.5 percent over a two-day trading period, while Abu Dhabi's slumped 11.6 percent. The sharp falls came after Dubai on Nov. 25 requested a freeze of payments on the debt of its largest conglomerate, Dubai World, which is liable for $59 billion. The request raised fears of a debt default by Dubai and sent jitters through global financial markets.
