UAE stocks inch higher as geopolitical tensions ease, AI sector shines

Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates closed slightly higher on Friday, buoyed by easing geopolitical tensions and cautious optimism around a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas as well as Iran’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.

Iran remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday, a day after Tehran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.

In Dubai, the main stock index ended the day 0.1% higher after spending most of the session in negative territory. The late recovery was driven by a 1.3% gain in Emirates NBD Bank and a 1.2% rise in Dubai Investments.

However, Taaleem Holdings, a major operator of international schools, fell 1.2% after reporting a 5% drop inthird quarter net profit to 82.03 million dirhams ($22.33 million).

Abu Dhabi’s benchmark index also edged up 0.1%, supported by strong performances in AI and next-generation technology stocks. Presight AI, a big data analytics firm, surged 14.9% to an all-time high of 3.9 dirhams per share since its listing in March 2023.

Major Gulf Shares rise as steady PMIs signal growth

Space42, an AI-powered space technology company, jumped 10.4%, marking its biggest intraday gain since May 2023.

According to Traze CEO Erkin Kamran, AI and tech stocks are likely to remain in favour as the UAE accelerates its push to become a global AI hub. Easing U.S.-China trade tensions and reduced restrictions on AI exports are also expected to attract more investor interest in the sector.

For the week, the Abu Dhabi and Dubai indexes logged 1% and 1.2% gains respectively, according to LSEG data.

Oil prices – a key catalyst for the Gulf’s financial markets – drifted lower on Friday as eight OPEC+ countries are likely to make another accelerated oil output increase for August at a meeting on Saturday, sources from the producer group told Reuters, as they seek to regain market share.

Brent crude was down 0.7% at $68.29 a barrel by 1204 GMT.

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 ABU DHABI    rose 0.1% to 9,981

 DUBAI        up 0.1% to 5,753

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