Almost All Arab Stock Exchanges, Especially Those in the Gulf, Record a Downward Trend Since the Outbreak of the Iran‑U.S.‑Zionist Conflict
Speaking on a local private radio station, Rami Ibrahim El‑Dokany, Secretary‑General of the Arab Stock Exchanges Federation, said on Thursday that the conflict involving Iran, the United States and the “Zionist entity” has pushed most Arab markets lower.
- Saudi Arabia: the Saudi exchange lost roughly 2 %.
- Egypt: the Egyptian exchange fell by 2.5 %.
- Qatar, Morocco and Dubai: each of these markets recorded a decline of about 4 %.
El‑Dokany highlighted a notable drop in trading volumes and massive withdrawals by foreign investors across several markets. He warned that, if the conflict continues, broader repercussions could hit the banking and financial sectors, especially given the potential impact of U.S. Federal Reserve decisions on Gulf countries whose currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar.
Citing the ongoing rise in oil prices, he stressed that this upward trend—likely to persist if the war drags on—is the primary source of concern for states that have built their budgets around a barrel price of $60‑$70. Continued price increases could spark a new wave of inflation and drive consumer prices higher in the coming months.
