Most Gulf stock markets firmed in early trade on Wednesday amid rising oil prices, although the Dubai index was dragged down by bluechips.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index edged up 0.1%, with Al Rajhi Bank rising 0.4% and Saudi National Bank , the kingdom's largest lender, gaining 0.8%.

Saudi Arabia sold $3.25 billion in dual-tranche bonds on Tuesday, comprising a sukuk tranche and a conventional portion in its third international bond sale of the year, a term sheet viewed by Reuters showed.

In Abu Dhabi, the index edged 0.1% higher, helped by a 0.7% gain in telecoms firm Etisalat.

Among other gainers, ADNOC Drilling advanced 2.2%. The unit of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which went public last month, posted a rise of almost 50% in third-quarter profit on Wednesday, driven by new rigs and reactivation of others this year, in addition to an increase in oilfield services.

Dubai's main share index inched 0.3% lower, hit by a 1.1% fall in Emirates NBD Bank and a 0.4% decrease in blue-chip developer Emaar Properties.

Union Properties tumbled 7.4%, after media reports said its chairman Khalifa Al Hammadi had been detained amid investigation.

Separately, Dubai's Emirates airline got a further 2.5 billion dirhams ($681 million) in state support in the first half of the year, the airline said on Wednesday, as it announced first half losses had halved.

The Qatari index added 0.1%, with Commercial Bank rising 0.8%.

Qatar's government budget recorded a surplus of 0.9 billion riyals ($247.25 million) in the third quarter, boosting the nine-month surplus in 2021 to 4.9 billion riyals, as higher energy prices increased the Gulf nation's revenue.