MIDEAST STOCKS-UAE equities ease on renewed Gulf tensions

Analog Devices, Inc.
Quantum-Si Incorporated Class A
Baxter International Inc.

Analog Devices, Inc.

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Quantum-Si Incorporated Class A

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Baxter International Inc.

BAX

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By Mohd Edrees

- Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates ended lower on Friday, as renewed clashes between the U.S. and Iran near the Strait of Hormuz weighed on investor sentiment.

U.S. President Donald Trump said a ceasefire was still holding despite a flare-up in tensions that dented hopes for a swift diplomatic resolution to the crisis.

Dubai's main index .DFMGI fell 0.5%, ending a two-session rebound, with banking shares leading declines.

Emirates NBD Bank ENBD.DU dropped 1.4%, while Dubai Islamic Bank DISB.DU slid 2.2%.

Bucking the trend, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications DU.DU advanced 3.1% after announcing a partnership with Ooredoo Group ORDS.QA to land the FIG subsea cable in the UAE.

The project is aimed at supporting rising demand from hyperscalers, cloud providers, AI platforms and data center operators.

UAE equities eased after renewed Strait of Hormuz tensions, but resilient local fundamentals and any regional de-escalation could support a return toward previous highs, said Daniel Takieddine co-founder and CEO, Sky Links Capital Group.

In Abu Dhabi, the benchmark index .FTFADGI closed 0.4% lower, pressured by a 1.2% decline in Adnoc Gas ADNOCGAS.AD and a 1.5% drop in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank ADCB.AD.

Oil prices - a key catalyst for Gulf's financial market - rose, with Brent crude futures LCOC1 up 0.67% at $100.73 a barrel by 1143 GMT. O/R

Despite the pullback, both indexes ended the week higher. The Dubai index gained 2.4% for the week, while the Abu Dhabi added 0.5%, according to data compiled by LSEG.