Stock News: Markets In UAE, Qatar Edge Up

Dubai’s index rose 1.8 per cent to 4,653 points as most stocks gained.

Saudi SABIC Q3 Profit Falls 4.5%, Misses Estimates

SABIC, which is 70 per cent state-owned, attributed the fall in profits to a drop in sales and other income, although its cost of financing was lower.

Oman Likely To Start Cutting Subsidies Next Year -Minister

Oman has been considering ways to reform its costly and sometimes wasteful subsidy system, though reductions in spending would be politically sensitive

Gulf States Need To Reform Spending As Oil Price Slips -Kuwait

A sustained oil price decline of $25 reduces the revenue of most GCC countries by the equivalent of about eight percentage points of gross domestic product, and could therefore push many of them into fiscal deficits.

Kuwait Central Bank Says To Cut Bad Loans To 2% By End-2015

Big provisions for bad loans taken by Kuwaiti banks in the past few years have also limited profits distributed to shareholders.

Abu Dhabi State Fund Asks For More In $22bn Malaysia Banking Deal

Sources say that Aabar Investments is unhappy with the merger talks of Malaysia’s RHB Capital Bhd with IMB Group Holdings and Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB).

TVM Capital Plans $200m Investment In UAE Healthcare Portfolio

The private healthcare-focused firm has made four investments in the United Arab Emirates since 2009 through its $120 million fund.

Kuwait’s Alafco To Spend $600m Buying Aircraft Over Two Years

The company will finance a third of the $600 million from its own resources and the remainder via local and international banks.

Builder Khodari May Double Capex To Handle Big Saudi Projects

Major infrastructure projects planned in Saudi will require raising annual capital expenditure above the levels of SAR150 to SAR250 million seen in past years, Khodari said.

Kuwait Investment Shares Jump On Privatisation Plan

The Kuwait Investment Authority said it would offer its stake in the firm to the public in the first half of 2015.

Kuwait Sovereign Fund To Resume Selling Stakes In Local Firms

The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is planning to offer its stake in Kuwait Investment Co in the first half of 2015.

Dubai Fund DIC Expects Doncasters, Almatis Sales In 18 Months

DIC has been selling down its portfolio of assets to service its debt, most recently selling German packaging company Mauser for $1.72 billion.

dirhams

UAE’s Waha Capital Sees Asset Growth With $500m Investment – CEO

Waha, which has a stake in New York-listed AerCap Holdings, had assets totalling Dhs6.5 billion ($1.8 billion) in June this year.

Dubai Islamic Bank May Boost Capital After Strong Loan Growth – CEO

The bank’s chief executive said there were a number of options available to boost its capital reserves but it would choose the cheapest way to boost the ratio at the time it chose to act.

Saudi Arabia’s Advanced Petrochemical Plans Sukuk Investor Meetings

Funds raised from the issue would be used for general business purposes, the company said.

UAE Ranked 15th Top Expat Destination Globally, 10 Spots Below Bahrain, In New HSBC Survey

Switzerland, Singapore and China were ranked as the top three expat destinations worldwide.

Dubai Islamic Bank Q3 Net Profit Rises 55.7%

The bank made Dhs676.8 million of net profit attributable to the owners of the bank in the three months to September 30.

Saudi’s National Commercial Bank Q3 Net Income Up 7.8%

NCB, which is currently undertaking the largest ever IPO in the GCC, made $498.4 million in the three months to September 30.

Stock News: UAE, Qatar Markets Rise On Earnings

Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank posted strong third quarter results.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Posts 16.4% Q3 Net Profit Gain

The lender made a net profit attributable to equity holders of Dhs1.02 billion.

Emirates NBD Q3 Net Profit Doubles, Beats Forecasts

ENBD’s earnings have been given a lift in recent quarters by a resurgence in the Dubai economy.

Abraaj Aims To Soon Complete Purchase Of Saudi Fast-Food Chain Kudu

The private equity firm has been in exclusive talks for months to buy a controlling holding in the restaurant group.

Kuwait’s Global Investment House Says Shareholders Approve Capital Cut

The investment firm aims to write-off of $327.9 million of its losses through a capital reduction.

Different Arab money

European PE Firm CVC Eyes $700m Deals In Middle East, North Africa

Currently, around 25 per cent of the firm’s funds come from Asia and the Middle East.

Saudi Cement Posts Near-Flat Q3 Profit, Beats Forecasts

The company made a net profit of SAR232 million ($61.8 million) in the third quarter, up from SAR229 million in the corresponding period of 2013, according to a bourse filing.

Saudi Samba Q3 Profit Up 9% As Operating Income Rises

The bank said it made a profit of SAR1.28 billion ($341.2 million) in the three months to Sept. 30, up from SAR1.17 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Oman Studying Ways To Limit Spending After Oil Price Plunge

Oman needs a relatively high oil price to balance its budget, so its state finances are more vulnerable than most to the drop of Brent crude oil to around $85 a barrel.

Qatar Insurance To List Subsidiary Focused On Foreign Markets

This will be the second initial public offering (IPO) in Qatar after a long period.

Qatar’s Doha Bank 9-Month Net Profit Gains 10%

The lender made QAR1.1 billion in the year-to-September 30, compared to QAR1 billion in the year earlier period, a bourse statement said.

Saudi Fransi Capital Says Three Big IPOs In Pipeline As Market Booms

Each of the three big IPOs currently in Saudi Fransi’s pipeline is larger than SAR1 billion ($267 million), the company’s chief executive said.