Recession Fears in US Drag Arab Markets into Another Day of Losses

An investor passes in front of a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) in Riyadh. (Reuters)
An investor passes in front of a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) in Riyadh. (Reuters)
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Recession Fears in US Drag Arab Markets into Another Day of Losses

An investor passes in front of a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) in Riyadh. (Reuters)
An investor passes in front of a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) in Riyadh. (Reuters)

Fears of recession in the American economy, the decline in global markets - from stocks to oil to cryptocurrencies – led to a wave of sharp losses in Middle Eastern markets on Monday, ranging between 4.5 percent and 0.9 percent, for the second consecutive day.

The UAE markets topped the declines in the Arab region, as the Dubai Financial Market Index recorded losses of 4.5 percent, reaching 4,045.9 points, while the Abu Dhabi Securities Market Index fell by 3 percent to 8,974.69 points.

In Cairo, the EGX30 Index concluded trading on Monday with losses amounting to 2.3 percent, reaching levels of 27,840.64 points, and the Egyptian pound fell against the US dollar to 49.5 pounds, the lowest level since March 11.

The Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) decreased by 2.1 percent, or by 249.91 points, to close at the level of 11,504.46, with trades worth SAR 10 billion.

The General Market Index of the Kuwait Stock Exchange closed Monday’s trading at a decline to the level of 33.6927 points, or 2 percent, while the trading volume reached 260 million shares.

The Bahrain Stock Exchange Index suffered losses of 1 percent, reaching 1,931 points, while the Bahrain Islamic Index closed at 782.85, a decrease of 24.76 points.

The Muscat Securities Market Index closed down by 0.97 percent at 4602.25 points, a difference of 44.9 points from the last trading session, which reached 4647.20 points. The market value recorded a slight decrease of 0.3 percent.

On the other hand, the Qatar Stock Exchange index stabilized at 10,057.23 points after declining in the previous session by 0.7 percent to 10,057.13 points.



Oil Falls as US Recession Fears Offset Mideast Tensions

A man pumps gas into a vehicle at a petrol station on October 2, 2023 in Alhambra, California. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
A man pumps gas into a vehicle at a petrol station on October 2, 2023 in Alhambra, California. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
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Oil Falls as US Recession Fears Offset Mideast Tensions

A man pumps gas into a vehicle at a petrol station on October 2, 2023 in Alhambra, California. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
A man pumps gas into a vehicle at a petrol station on October 2, 2023 in Alhambra, California. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)

Oil prices fell on Monday as fears of a recession in the United States, the world's top oil consumer, offset concerns that escalating tensions in the Middle East may affect supplies from the largest producing region.
Brent crude futures inched down 4 cents, or 0.1%, to $76.77 a barrel by 0035 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $73.39 a barrel, down 13 cents, or 0.2%.
Prices were supported by persistent fighting in Gaza with an Israeli airstrike hitting two schools and killing at least 30 people on Sunday, Palestinian officials said, the day after a round of talks in Cairo ended without result.
Israel and the United States are bracing for a serious escalation in the region after Iran and its allies Hamas and Hezbollah pledged to retaliate against Israel for the killings of Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah military commander last week.
"If this conflict intensifies, crude exports could be impacted," ANZ analysts said in a note.
Despite worries about escalating tensions in the Middle East, Brent tumbled more than 3% on Friday to settle at its lowest since January. WTI, meanwhile, fell more than 3% to settle at its lowest since June.
Both contracts marked their fourth straight week of losses, their biggest losing streaks since November.
In the U.S., the number of operating oil rigs were steady at 482 last week, Baker Hughes said in a weekly report.
Weak economic data across the globe weighed on oil prices, on concerns that a sluggish global economic recovery would dampen fuel consumption.
Data released last week showed that the US economy added fewer jobs than expected last month while factories across the US, China and Europe grappled with tepid demand.
Slumping diesel consumption in China, the world's biggest contributor to oil demand growth, is weighing on global oil prices.