Gulf News

Heavyweigh­ts lead UAE indices decline

ABU DHABI INDEX FALLS 1.7%, BUT STILL ABOVE THE KEY SUPPORT LEVEL OF 4,955

- BY SIDDESH SURESH MAYENKAR Senior Reporter

Etisalat, FAB, Emaar Properties and Emirates NBD contribute­d to heavy losses in UAE as Tadawul lost ground in Saudi Arabia |

Heavyweigh­ts like Etisalat and First Abu Dhabi Bank, Emaar Properties and Emirates NBD contribute­d to heavy losses on UAE indices yesterday.

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange general index closed 1.75 per cent lower at 4,990.77 even as the index managed to hold above the 50-day moving average of 4,955.

First Abu Dhabi Bank closed 0.32 per cent lower at Dh14.48. Etisalat closed 0.38 per cent lower at Dh16.92. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank closed at Dh4.18, almost flat compared to the previous session. Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank closed flat at Dh8.19.

“Banks in Abu Dhabi have come a long way in 2018, promising from the capital’s financial sector as the UAE focuses on attracting FDI’s over a number of key sectors. Investors are advised however to reassess current PE ratios with a focus on a Dubai-Abu Dhabi comparison as despite positive performanc­es of Abu Dhabi stocks, PE’s are growing and could prove less opportunis­tic in the near future,” Essam Kassabieh, Senior Financial Analyst at Menacorp said in a note.

The Dubai Financial Market general index closed 1.21 per cent lower at 2,750.14. “Traders may look to buy select outperform­ing banking stocks from lower support levels,” Shiv Prakash, senior analyst with First Abu Dhabi Bank Securities said.

Emaar Properties closed at Dh4.79, down 1.64 per cent. Dubai Islamic Bank closed 0.19 per cent lower at Dh5.34. Emirates NBD closed more than 2 per cent lower at Dh7.10. Union Properties closed less than a per cent higher at Dh0.610.

Dubai Investment shares closed 1.4 per cent lower at Dh1.43. “Dubai Investment­s has gone radio silent with no comments being disclosed to investors after the stock hit new 52 week lows, investors may have been attentive to MSCI rebalances however the main issue is the several revaluatio­ns that have been applied to DIC’s assets that have made it challengin­g for investors to determine its book value which at this time seems much higher than its market price,” Kassabieh said.

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