Major Gulf markets gain on dovish Fed outlook
Aug 26 (Reuters) -Major stock markets in the Gulf rose in early trade on Monday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signalled that the U.S. central bank will most likely cut interest rate in September.
Powell on Friday endorsed an imminent start to interest rate cuts, saying further cooling in the job market would be unwelcome and expressing confidence that inflation is within reach of the Fed's 2% target.
U.S. personal consumption and core inflation data are due on Friday. Analysts are expecting the datato be benign enough to allow for rate cuts next month.
Fed fund futures 0#FF: are fully priced for a quarter-point cut at the Sept. 18 meeting, and imply a 38% chance of an outsized move of 50 basis points. The market also has 103 basis points of easing priced in for this year and another 122 basis points in 2025. FEDWATCH
Monetary policy in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including the UAE, is usually guided by the Fed's decisions, as most regional currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar.
Saudi Arabia's benchmark index .TASI rose 0.1%, with Saudi Telecom Company 7010.SE advancing 2.4%.
Dubai's main share index .DFMGI gained 0.3%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties EMAR.DU rising 0.4%.
In Abu Dhabi, the index .FTFADGI added 0.2%.
The Qatari benchmark .QSI advanced 0.5%, led by a 1.1% rise in the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank QNBK.QA.
Oil prices - a catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets - extended gains on fears a major spillover in fighting from the Gaza conflict into the Middle East could disrupt regional oil supplies, while approaching U.S. interest rate cuts lifted the global economic and fuel demand outlook. O/R
Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
