Egypt's main stock index jumped 1.4 percent on Wednesday to its highest level since January 2011 after a major political protest in the capital ended relatively peacefully, while other Gulf markets were mixed. Egyptian police fired teargas to drive protesters out of Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday night, breaking up a demonstration commemorating 42 protesters who were killed two years ago as they opposed the government that took power after Hosni Mubarak's downfall.
However, no fatalities were reported on Tuesday and police only intervened shortly before midnight after an otherwise relatively quiet rally. "Yesterday people were expecting some violence," said Ashraf Akhnoukh, senior equity sales trader at CIBC Brokerage in Cairo. "When nothing happened, retail investors just jumped in and started buying again." The Egyptian market is in a strong uptrend because of hopes that the army-backed government will succeed in managing a tricky transition to elections next year, and because of hopes for billions of dollars in additional aid from Egypt's Gulf allies in coming months.
Dubai's measure rose 1.1 percent to 2,888 points as local retail investors continued to position for the November 27 announcement on whether the emirate's bid to host the Expo 2020 world fair is successful. Property developer Emaar gained 2.0 percent. The index faces major technical resistance around 2,900 points; the market stalled in this area in late October and early November.
Saudi Arabia's index continued to retreat, sliding 0.3 percent in a bout of profit-taking after a three-week rally. The correction spread to Qatar, where all trades had been cancelled on Tuesday because of a technical problem. The index rose in early trade on Wednesday as buy orders left over from the previous day went through, but it then pulled back quickly and closed 0.2 percent lower. However both markets, which are seen by investors as more conservative and defensive than those in the United Arab Emirates, could gain further before the end of the year as a region-wide search for dividend yields continues.
"I think many investors are reducing their exposure to the United Arab Emirates after a very good run," said Ali Adou, portfolio manager at The National Investor in Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia's index is up 23 percent year-to-date and Qatar is up 24 percent, while Dubai has gained 76 percent and Abu Dhabi sits on a 45 percent gain. Bahrain's index slid 0.5 percent, largely driven by Ahli United Bank which dropped 2.2 percent after it issued two announcements on Tuesday and Wednesday saying "key persons" - a legal term describing board members and top executives - had sold some stock at $0.70 per share. The stock closed at $0.68.