UAE Favours Bourse Merger But Up To Exchanges -Minister

A possible merger of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange with the Dubai Financial Market has been discussed on and off for years.

UAE Firms Delaying IPO Plans Due To Weak Markets -Regulator

The Abu Dhabi and Dubai stock markets have dropped sharply in the past several months as the slide in global oil prices has burst speculative bubbles in equities.

Abu Dhabi Financial Centre To Base Rules On English Common Law

The Abu Dhabi Financial Centre will have its own administration, court system and tax incentives to attract banks and companies from around the world.

UAE Online Job Postings Rise 13% In December

Online job postings in Banking, Finance, Services and Insurance (BFSI) saw the largest growth, rising by 27 per cent, the index showed.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Stabilise After Sharp Drops

Dubai’s bourse, which had suffered more than others and fallen 8.6 per cent this week, added 0.8 per cent in a broad recovery.

Qatari Diar Transfers Al Khaliji Stake To Qatar Investment Authority

Diar, which had been Al Khaliji’s largest shareholders, moved 61.9 million shares in Qatar’s sixth-largest bank to QIA.

Saudi Retailer Jarir Posts 25.5% Q4 Net Profit Jump

The company made a net profit of SAR200.8 million($53.5 million) in the fourth quarter.

Egypt’s Bisco Misr Shareholders Agree To Sell Stake To Kellogg

Shareholders controlling 59.91 per cent of the company’s shares had agreed to sell at 89.86 pounds per share, Bisco Misr said in a statement.

Arabtec Denies Reports Of Immediate Acquisitions

The company’s statement follows reports that it had assigned a consultant to advise on potential take over bids.

Saudi’s Jabal Omar Signs SAR4bn Loan Refinancing For Mecca Project

It did not give the details of the previous loan but said it was signed with six banks in June 2012.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Fall After Oil Plunge; Dubai Tumbles

Dubai’s bourse tumbled 5.1 per cent with Emaar Properties losing 8.4 per cent.

Dubai Islamic Bank Picks Arrangers For Potential Tier 1 Sukuk

The Islamic lender has mandated HSBC and Standard Chartered as the joint structuring banks.

UAE Non-Oil Business Growth Edges Up In December-PMI

The measure of output growth climbed to 65.0 points in December from 62.8 in November, while new orders were at 65.4 points against 65.5.

Saudi December Non-Oil Business Growth Accelerates Slightly

The seasonally adjusted SABB HSBC Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 57.9 points in December from 57.6 in the previous month.

Stock News: Gulf Sentiment May Stay Weak After Oil’s Plunge

Brent futures edged up early on Tuesday but traded below $54.

Massar Solutions Announces First Abu Dhabi Share Float Since 2011

The firm will seek to sell 240 million ordinary shares at Dhs2.4 ($0.65) each between January 11 and January 25, it said in a statement.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Fall On Weak Oil

Dubai’s index dropped 3.4 per cent as all but a handful of stocks fell.

Saudi’s SAFCO Halves Dividend For H2 2014

The figure is down from the SAR6 per share that the company paid for the corresponding period of 2013.

Abu Dhabi Finance Firm TNI Says CFO Resigns, Replacement Named

Rami Hurieh took over as CFO effective from January 4 after the departure of Jean Ayoub, TNI said in a bourse filing.

Rouhani Urges End To Iran’s Isolation

Rouhani’s call is in line with his preference for a greater public say on strategic matters, traditionally vested with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Kuwait Finance Minister: Oil Price Fall Won’t Slow Development Projects

Ministers said that the government will not abandon subsidy reform.

Bahraini Fund Mumtalakat Signs $500m Loan Deal – Sources

Signed just before the end of 2014, the loan is structured as a revolving credit facility.

Stock News: Markets Slide In Thin Trade As Oil Slips

Dubai’s index dropped 2.4 per cent with most stocks down.

UAE’s Dana Gas Says Receives $60m From Egyptian Government

Egypt has delayed payments to oil and gas firms as its economy has been hammered by almost four years of instability.

Dubai Says To Lift Spending 9% And End Deficit In 2015 Budget

Spending this year is projected at about Dhs41 billion ($11.2 billion), up from Dhs37.88 billion in the original budget for 2014, according to state news agency WAM.

Oman 2015 Budget Raises State Spending At Expense Of Big Deficit

Government expenditure this year is estimated at OMR14.1 billion ($36.6 billion), up 4.5 per cent from last year’s original plan, the ministry said.

Oman Postpones 2015 State Budget Announcement

A news conference on the budget was scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. local time.

Turkey Unit Of Kuwait Finance House Secures $350m Islamic Loan

The dual-currency murabaha transaction for Kuveyt Turk was arranged in two tranches.

Saudi King Undergoing Medical Tests In Riyadh Hospital

The monarch, who took power in 2005 after the death of King Fahd, has undergone surgery in the past few years related to a herniated disc.

Oman’s State Council Rejects Proposal To Tax Expat Remittances

The council said that such a tax would have a negative impact on the country’s investment prospects.