DUBAI: Major Gulf indexes closed higher on Thursday, as oil prices gained on worries that a potential expansion of the Gaza war might disrupt Middle East supplies.
Oil price - a key catalyst for Gulf’s financial markets - was up 0.63% to $85.79 a barrel by 1200 GMT.
Saudi Arabia’s benchmark stock index, which recorded its first monthly gain after three months of consecutive losses, advanced 0.6%, helped by a 10% surge in Al Taiseer Group TALCO Industrial and a 2.2% increase in biggest lender Saudi National Bank.
Amid the gainers, renewable energy utility firm Acwa Power jumped 2.9% after the firm signed three power purchase agreements with Saudi Power Procurement Company for large-scale solar plants with a total capacity of 5.5 gigawatts, the firm said in a filing. The agreements are worth 12.3 billion riyals ($3.28 billion).
Abu Dhabi’s benchmark index settled 0.4% higher, snapping two sessions of losses, with Abu Dhabi biggest real estate developer Aldar Properties rising 1.7% and IHC-owned investment firm Multiply Group rising 1.5%.
The Qatari benchmark index rose 0.9%, extending gains to the 18th session in a row, supported by a rise in energy and financial sector stocks with Gulf’s largest lender Qatar National Bank increasing 0.4% and Qatar Gas Transport hiking 3.7%.
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