Vodafone Qatar rises to multiple-year high

- (AMEInfo | Finance and Economy) - 19 hours, 40 minutes ago...

The Qatar Exchange 20 Index slipped insignificantly to 8,462.91 points. Shares of the country's second telco operator Vodafone Qatar advanced 0.21% to reach QR9.72. Vodafone Qatar has said the total number of its customers in the country rose 11% in a year to reach 837,233 in March 2012, or 47% of Qatar's population, Gulf Times has reported. The growth has been driven by enhancements to the company's mobile network and the launch of innovative promotions and services such as the 'Swalif' local calling offer and prepaid BlackBerry plans, Vodafone Qatar said. The firm said its financial results for the year ended March 31 will be announced following a board meeting on June 7....

see complete article

Property shares weigh on Abu Dhabi exchange

- (AMEInfo | Finance and Economy) - 19 hours, 40 minutes ago...

The ADX Index declined 0.44% to close at 2,464.68, as dvelopers Aldar Properties, Sorouh Real Estate fell 0.93% and RAK Properties dived by 2.70%. Market bellwether Emirates Telecommunications or Etisalat bucked the trend, gaining 0.11%. Trading remained dull due to the ongoing uncertainty over Greece's disposition in the Euro zone. Around 30m shares were traded, valued at Dhs45.22m....

see complete article

Islamic banks lift Bahrain Bourse

- (AMEInfo | Finance and Economy) - 19 hours, 40 minutes ago...

The Bahrain All-Share Index gained 0.70% to hit 1,145.39 Thursday, halting a week-long declined. Islamic financial institutions Al Baraka Banking Group and Ithmaar Bank advanced 9.20% and 6.90%, respectively. Nass Corporation lost the most (off 0.69%). According to National Bank of Abu Dhabi's Chief Economist and Head of Research Dr. Giyas Gokkent, "assets of the consolidated Bahraini banking system were up +0.8% m-o-m in March to $200.4bn ( down 0.3% y-o-y) driven in large part by growth in wholesale banks." He added that "Bahrain’s wholesale banking system clocked in two consecutive months of growth. In March, geographic classification data for wholesale banks indicate a rise in GCC liabilities and a concomitant rise in Western European assets and a significant portion are movements due to head office and affiliated bank activity. Year-to-date, the Bahrain Bourse added 0.15%.
see complete article

Dubai market ends tricky week flat

- (AMEInfo | Finance and Economy) - 19 hours, 40 minutes ago...

As many investors continued to stay on the sidelines, the Dubai Financial Market General Index (DFMGI) ended unchanged at 1,479.67 Thursday as Euro zone's dispute over the issuance of Euro bonds kept buyers away. While Emaar Properties retreated to Dhs2.88, Commercial Bank of Dubai or CBD and bank Emirates NBD added 1.79% and 1.11%, respectively. Ten Shares gained, 14 declined and two closed even. Over the week, Dubai's local exchange added a quarter percentage point, which marks the first week recovery in a month....

see complete article