FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Emirati Shares Begin New Week Upbeat; US-Iran Peace Talks Progress

By

United Arab Emirates stocks closed higher on the first trading day of the week, buoyed by progress in peace talks and easing tensions between the US and Iran.

At the close of Monday trading, the FTSE ADX General Index was up 0.189%, while the DFM General Index added 0.324%.

The US and Iran concluded their first round of talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar in Switzerland. Both countries agreed to a 60-day roadmap towards reaching a final deal, the establishment of a direct communication line to safeguard commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and a mechanism to end military operations in Lebanon.

"While the market is pricing a reopening of the Strait, risks remain to oil supply related to the negotiations. If the negotiations around nuclear materials and operations are unsuccessful, there is no guarantee that the Strait will remain open. Further conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah could also derail the negotiations," Berenberg said.

Back at home, Abu Dhabi Registration Authority logged a 21% year-over-year growth in new economic licenses in the first quarter despite the ongoing regional developments in the Middle East.

On the corporate front, Abu Dhabi National Co. for Building Materials (ADX:BILDCO), d/b/a Bildco, closed the session 0.57% in the red. The building materials company appointed Woods Bagot as the lead master planning consultant for its sustainable urban development project in Abu Dhabi.

On the other hand, pure-play real estate investment trust Dubai Residential REIT (DFM:DUBAIRESI) secured inclusion in the FTSE EPRA Nareit Emerging Index following a recent review by FTSE Russell. Its shares ended the session unchanged.

Related Articles

Asia Markets

Tadawul Shares Start Week Lower; Saudi's Operating Revenues Index Ticks Up in April

Saudi Exchange-traded shares closed Sunday lower as Iran's announcement regarding the reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz pushed the Tadawul All Share Index 0.40% in the red.The command center of Iran's Armed Forces disclosed that the operations of the Iranian and Omani coasts along the Strait will be closed again. The move was due to the US allegedly breaching its memorandum of understanding to end the war.The statement comes as US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei met in Switzerland to iron out more details for the peace deal.Back at home, preliminary data demonstrated that the kingdom's operating revenue and employee compensation indices in April rose 10.6% and 10.1% year over year, respectively. Additionally, issued building permits surged annually by 28.2% to 7,356 in the reporting month from 5,740 a year ago."On a monthly basis, the Operating Revenues Index decreased by 3.8%, affected by a 19.1% decrease in manufacturing and mining and quarrying activities, a 1.5% decline in wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles activities, a 2.5% decline in financial and insurance activities, and decreases of 1.5% and 4.9% in information and communication activities and transportation and storage activities, respectively," the General Authority for Statistics said in its report.On the corporate front, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies (SASE:2081) entered into 60-month contracts to clean the stormwater and surface water networks of the sub-municipalities of the Jeddah Amana Municipality in Saudi Arabia. Shares of the water and wastewater management company closed 0.42% lower.

^TASISASE:2081
Asia Markets

UK Shares Fall Amid Uncertainty Over US-Iran Truce

British equities wrapped up the week in the red, with London's FTSE 100 down 0.41%, as investors assessed fresh economic data and monitored developments in the Middle East.Data from market research company Growth from Knowledge showed Britain's consumer confidence indicator at -23 points in June, unchanged from the previous month. The indicator defied analysts' expectations for a dip to -24 points.Meanwhile, the latest retail sales figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics painted a picture of recovery, with monthly retail sales in May up 1.2%, rebounding from a revised 1% decline in April and exceeding forecasts of a 0.5% increase. Year over year, retail sales in the UK rose 3.2% in May.Separate ONS data showed UK public sector net borrowing, excluding public sector banks, increased to 23.29 billion pounds sterling in May from 23.03 billion pounds earlier."Spending on debt interest, public services, investment and benefits all increased in May 2026, compared with last May, more than outweighing higher tax receipts," ONS Senior Statistician Tom Davies said.Geopolitical developments also remained in focus after planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland were postponed, casting uncertainty over the timing of further negotiations aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East. Switzerland said it remains willing to facilitate future discussions.On the corporate front, Entain (ENT.L) is reportedly considering options for its Central and Eastern Europe joint venture, including a potential sale of its majority stake to partner EMMA Capital. According to Reuters, proceeds from a deal could be used to reduce the betting and gaming company's debt. Entain wrapped up the week 1.23% lower.

FTSE 100$ENT.L
Asia Markets

Swiss Market Index Closes Week Little Changed; US-Iran Talks Postponed

Swiss stocks concluded the trading week little changed amid a quiet day of economic news locally and light trading volumes due to a US holiday.The Swiss Market Index was up 0.06% at the end of Friday's trading session.On the geopolitical front, the planned talks between the US and Iran set to take place today in Switzerland regarding the implementation of the recently signed memorandum of understanding were postponed "for the time being," the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said in a release without specifying any reasons for the cancellation. Preparations for the talks at the Bürgenstock, however, were continuing.The postponement comes as Israel launched airstrikes in Lebanon, Reuters and other media outlets reported.In corporate news, Holcim (HOLN.SW) completed its purchase of Germany-headquartered walling systems company Xella as part of its growth strategy, with the acquisition expected to be accretive to the Swiss building materials company's EPS and cash flow from the first year. Holcim's shares closed the session 0.67% lower.Berenberg raised its price target for Eli Lilly (LLY.SW) to $1,135 from $1,050, with an unchanged hold rating on the stock, taking into account higher expectations for the Switzerland-listed pharmaceutical company's injectable obesity franchise."Eli Lilly delivered excellent P3 efficacy and safety data for retatrutide (tri-agonist) at the ADA conference; we raise our forecasts accordingly. Meanwhile, the launch ramp of Foundayo (oral GLP-1) remains slow, in sharp contrast with that of Novo's Wegovy pill. Our Foundayo forecasts are below consensus," the research firm said. "In H2, we expect additional P3 retatrutide and Foundayo obesity co-morbidity data, P2 tirzepatide plus eloralintide obesity combination data and P3 remternetug data in Alzheimer's disease."

^SSMI$HOLN.SW$LLY.SW