United Arab Emirates equities kicked off the new trading week in the red as investors adopted a cautious stance following the exchange of fresh strikes between the US and Iran.
At the close of Monday trading, the FTSE ADX General Index lost 0.41%, while the DFM General Index declined 0.415%.
The US and Iran launched retaliatory strikes over the weekend, accusing each other of violating their ceasefire deal. The tensions, however, de-escalated as both countries agreed to halt their attacks and resume talks in Qatar.
"All this demonstrates that there's still plenty of risk facing the oil market. Even so, participants appear to be shrugging off these developments, instead focusing on what a continued recovery in oil flows would mean for the global balance. This complacency is odd and clearly leaves significant upside risk if the supply recovery proves slow - or if we see significant re-escalation. While the oil market is technically in oversold territory, momentum appears to still be to the downside," ING said.
Back at home, Abu Dhabi's Department of Health signed a memorandum of understanding with Eli Lilly's Eli Lilly Drugstore to explore the development of an artificial intelligence-powered obesity healthcare model and an Alzheimer's disease center of excellence in Abu Dhabi.
On the corporate side, Adnoc Logistics & Services (ADX:ADNOCLS) was the Abu Dhabi bourse's most traded stock by value and closed 1.01% in the green. The energy maritime logistics company raised its full-year net profit and revenue guidance on the back of improved material handling volumes in the second quarter.
Elsewhere, Mashreqbank (DFM:MASQ) will collaborate with Mastercard to expand its quick remit service globally, offering its customers a quick and secure way of transferring funds abroad through its digital banking channels. Shares of the Dubai-listed lender closed the session 0.78% lower.