Market Wrap MENA-Asia 16 August: Egypt Adds 1.09 Percent and Saudi Arabia 0.89 as Asia Holds Friday Gains
Egyptian and Saudi equities led a broadly firm Sunday session across the Middle East and North Africa, with the EGX 30 climbing 1.09 percent to 55,854.74 and Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index adding 0.89 percent to 10,919.68. Asia, the United States and Europe were closed, and their Friday closes are carried for reference throughout.
The Saudi advance was broader than the index move suggests. The Saudi Exchange reported 186 advancing securities against 74 declining, a ratio of about two and a half to one, on value traded of 3.406 billion riyals and volume of 190,004,934 shares, with market capitalisation at 9,534.16 billion riyals. The MSCI Tadawul 30 rose 0.99 percent to 1,468.99. Participation did not extend to the Parallel Market, however, where Nomu fell 0.70 percent to 21,668.82, and the Sukuk and Bonds index eased 0.04 percent to 908.41.
Egypt set the regional pace. The EGX 30 gained 603.15 points from a previous close of 55,251.59, and the Egyptian Exchange reported 129 gainers against 80 decliners with 12 unchanged, on total market capitalisation of 4.31 trillion pounds. Trading closed at 15:54 Cairo time.
Elsewhere in the Gulf the tone was mixed but narrow. Oman’s MSX 30 rose 0.35 percent to 7,534.98 and Qatar’s QE Index added 0.24 percent to 10,045.18 on 299.2 million riyals of turnover, its first session since Thursday. Kuwait was almost unchanged in aggregate: the All-Share index edged up 0.03 percent to 8,841.71 while the Premier Market slipped 0.03 percent to 9,294.75, with the Main Market up 0.35 percent and the BK Main 50 up 0.84 percent on 335.6 million shares and 86 million dinars traded. Bahrain’s All Share eased 0.08 percent and Jordan’s Amman ASE General fell 0.13 percent. The United Arab Emirates exchanges trade Monday to Friday and did not open, so Abu Dhabi and Dubai carry their Friday closes.
Energy handed the region a firmer backdrop than a first glance suggests. ICE Brent for October settled Friday at 88.52 dollars a barrel, up 1.45 dollars or 1.67 percent, and WTI for September settled at 82.40 dollars, up 1.15 dollars or 1.42 percent. COMEX gold for December was quoted at 4,432.00 dollars, up 0.26 percent. Kuwait Export Crude was priced at 82.67 dollars.
On currencies, the Central Bank of Egypt set the pound at 50.1871 buying and 50.3220 selling against the dollar for 16 August. The dinar stood at 0.3071 to the dollar. Bitcoin traded at 62,988.08 dollars, down 0.08 percent, the only continuously traded instrument in this wrap during the Gulf session.
The global handoff was mixed rather than uniformly weak. All three United States benchmarks closed lower on Friday, the S&P 500 down 0.17 percent, the Dow down 0.20 percent and the Nasdaq Composite down 0.28 percent, while Europe was split, with the DAX up 0.53 percent against declines in the Euro STOXX 50, the CAC 40 and the FTSE 100. Asia finished the week firmer, six of the ten benchmarks we track higher, led by South Korea’s Kospi at 2.42 percent. United States Treasury yields rose across the curve on Friday, the 10-year up five basis points to 4.68 percent and the 30-year up four basis points to 5.25 percent, a counterweight to the equity tone through global financing conditions.
MENA equities, 16 August close, ranked by change
| Index | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| EGX 30 (Egypt) | 55,854.74 | +1.09% |
| Tadawul All Share TASI (Saudi Arabia) | 10,919.68 | +0.89% |
| MSCI Tadawul 30 (Saudi Arabia) | 1,468.99 | +0.99% |
| MSX 30 (Oman) | 7,534.98 | +0.35% |
| QE Index (Qatar) | 10,045.18 | +0.24% |
| Kuwait All-Share | 8,841.71 | +0.03% |
| Kuwait Premier Market | 9,294.75 | -0.03% |
| Bahrain All Share | 1,952.48 | -0.08% |
| Amman ASE General (Jordan) | 3,986.84 | -0.13% |
| Nomu Parallel Market (Saudi Arabia) | 21,668.82 | -0.70% |
UAE equities, Friday 14 August closes, for reference
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| FTSE ADX General (Abu Dhabi) | 10,047.21 | +0.02% |
| DFM General (Dubai) | 5,885.64 | -0.38% |
Asia equities, Friday 14 August closes, for reference, ranked by change
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Kospi (South Korea) | 6,977.94 | +2.42% |
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 68,713.80 | +0.59% |
| Topix (Japan) | 4,197.20 | +0.51% |
| Shenzhen Component (China) | 14,354.31 | +0.45% |
| Straits Times (Singapore) | 5,743.59 | +0.41% |
| Shanghai Composite (China) | 3,927.18 | +0.01% |
| Nifty 50 (India) | 24,366.00 | -0.12% |
| Taiwan Weighted (Taiwan) | 45,811.01 | -0.46% |
| S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) | 9,115.20 | -0.80% |
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 25,116.85 | -1.10% |
US equities, Friday 14 August closes, for reference, ranked by change
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (United States) | 7,785.76 | -0.17% |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average (United States) | 53,732.41 | -0.20% |
| Nasdaq Composite (United States) | 26,729.16 | -0.28% |
Europe equities, Friday 14 August closes, for reference, ranked by change
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| DAX (Germany) | 26,440.31 | +0.53% |
| Euro STOXX 50 (euro area) | 6,539.59 | -0.09% |
| CAC 40 (France) | 8,636.80 | -0.16% |
| FTSE 100 (United Kingdom) | 10,750.11 | -0.21% |
Commodities, Friday 14 August, for reference, ranked by change
| Contract | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| ICE Brent crude, October 2026 | $88.52 | +1.67% |
| WTI crude, September 2026 | $82.40 | +1.42% |
| COMEX gold, December 2026 | $4,432.00 | +0.26% |
Currencies
| Pair | Level | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| USD/EGP, Central Bank of Egypt | 50.1871 buy / 50.3220 sell | official rate, 16 August |
| USD/KWD | 0.3071 | -0.03%, Friday 14 August |
| EUR/USD | 1.1566 | -0.03%, Friday 14 August |
| GBP/USD | 1.3530 | unchanged, Friday 14 August |
| USD/JPY | 159.30 | -0.11%, Friday 14 August |
US Treasury yields, Friday 14 August closes, for reference, ranked by change
| Maturity | Yield | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 10-year | 4.68% | +5 basis points |
| 30-year | 5.25% | +4 basis points |
| 2-year | 4.17% | +2 basis points |
Volatility and crypto
| Instrument | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | $62,988.08 | -0.08%, live Sunday market |
| CBOE Volatility Index | 14.25 | -2.60%, Friday 14 August close |
Why it matters: Two of the region’s largest markets rose together on Sunday against a soft Western tape, and the Saudi breadth reading of 186 advancers to 74 decliners points to wide participation rather than a handful of index heavyweights doing the work. The divergence between the Saudi Main Market and Nomu, and between Kuwait’s All-Share and its Premier segment, shows the bid was selective by tier rather than indiscriminate. For Gulf producers the firmer Friday oil settlements are supportive, though the simultaneous rise in United States Treasury yields tightens the financing side of the same equation.
Outlook: The United Arab Emirates exchanges reopen Monday and will price four sessions of global news at once. Asia resumes with the Kospi at the top of the regional table, and the Gulf will trade Monday against Friday’s firmer crude settlements rather than the flat screen that a Sunday quote implies.
Sources: Saudi Exchange; Egyptian Exchange; Qatar Stock Exchange; Boursa Kuwait via Qatar News Agency; Central Bank of Egypt; United States Department of the Treasury; Bloomberg; CNBC.
