From Muhammad Munther Hussein

BENGALURU, June 18 (Reuters) - Most Gulf stock markets rose slightly in early trading on Thursday, as a temporary ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran boosted investor confidence.

US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed an agreement on Wednesday aimed at ending the war, but Trump warned that Washington would resume attacks and target Iranian officials if Tehran did not abide by its commitments.

Dubai's main index rose 0.8 percent, boosted by gains in the real estate, industrial, and financial services sectors. Emaar Properties shares climbed 2 percent, while Emirates NBD shares rose 1.3 percent.

Emirates NBD, Dubai’s largest bank, announced that it has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in India’s RBL Bank through an initial capital injection of approximately $2.75 billion.

Among other stocks that posted gains, shares of low-cost carrier Air Arabia rose 3.8 percent, while shares of Dubai Financial Market jumped four percent after the Dubai government's media office announced in a post on X that the market's value had surpassed one trillion dirhams on Wednesday.

The benchmark index in Abu Dhabi rose 0.5 percent, with shares of Alpha Abu Dhabi Holding Group climbing 3.3 percent and shares of real estate developer Aldar Properties rising 2 percent.

The Saudi benchmark index rose 0.1 percent, supported by gains in the materials, real estate, and financial sectors. Shares of Saudi Energy climbed 1.7 percent, while shares of Specialized Medical Company (SMC Healthcare) jumped 4.6 percent after the company won a Ministry of Health project valued at approximately 3.8 billion riyals ($1.01 billion).

Saudi Aramco's shares fell 0.4 percent following a report that the oil giant is considering selling a stake in its sulfur-related business in a deal that could be worth up to $7 billion.

Qatar's benchmark index showed little change, with shares of Qatar Petrochemical Industries rising 0.8 percent while shares of Qatar National Bank, the region's largest bank, fell 0.6 percent.

(US$1 = 3.7532 riyals)