Stocks in the United Arab Emirates closed in the green again, with the FTSE ADX General Index gaining 1.618% and the DFM General Index adding 1.83% at the close of Tuesday trading.
Markets will await the release of the UAE S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index report for July on Wednesday to gauge the health of the country's non-oil private sector amid the renewed tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. The metric declined to 50.8 in June from 52.6 in May.
On the geopolitical front, investor optimism improved after US President Donald Trump signaled that fresh talks with Iran had resumed, though the Middle Eastern country dismissed claims that any such negotiations are taking place.
"Oil prices dropped sharply yesterday on rising optimism that the US and Iran may be moving closer to reviving a Middle East deal," ING said. "The scale of the sell-off seems fairly overdone, given that there's still considerable uncertainty. We've been in this situation multiple times before, only to see things unravel. And with Iran denying that any talks are underway and Trump issuing warnings if no deal materialises, the backdrop clearly leaves ample room for a renewed escalation."
Back home and on the corporate front, FAB Securities confirmed Americana Restaurants International's (ADX:AMR) buy rating with a price target of 2.50 Emirati dirhams after its second-quarter attributable profit surpassed the financial services firm's expectations. Shares of the restaurant operator closed the session flat.
Al Ramz Corp. Investment and Development (DFM:ALRAMZ) logged a 90% year-over-year growth in its first-half net profit driven by higher trading volumes, asset management fees, and market-making revenue. The Dubai-listed investor's shares were also unchanged at the time of closing.