Major stock markets in the Gulf were mixed in early trade on Wednesday, as markets prepared for global interest rates to fall while a decline in crude prices weighed on sentiment.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said recent cooling in inflation readings “add somewhat to confidence” that consumer prices are coming under control.

Markets have now fully priced in a quarter-point rate cut from the U.S. central bank in September, with a total easing of 68 basis points (bps) expected by the end of the year.

Gulf bourses end mixed on US rate cut hopes, falling oil

Monetary policy in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is usually guided by the Fed’s decisions as most regional currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index gained 0.6%, led by a 2.7% rise in ACWA Power Company and a 0.2% increase in Al Rajhi Bank.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday revised downwards Saudi Arabia’s economic growth by nearly one percentage point, mainly due to oil production cuts.

Dubai’s main share index added 0.3%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties advancing 1%.

The Qatari benchmark dropped 0.9%, weighed down by a 2.2% decline in Qatar Islamic Bank, despite reporting a rise in first-half net profit.

The lender reported a 5.6% year-on-year rise in net profit for the first half of 2024 to 2.07 billion riyals ($567 billion).

In Abu Dhabi, the index fell 0.2%.

Oil prices - a catalyst for the Gulf’s financial markets - eased, with global benchmark Brent hovering near a one-month low hit in the prior session on signs of weakening demand in China, although losses were capped by declining U.S. oil stockpiles.