-- Stock trading in the United Arab Emirates closed higher as investors digested a fresh batch of corporate earnings from the region.
At the close of Thursday trading, the FTSE ADX General Index was little changed at 0.016% in the green, while the DFM General Index was up 0.567%.
The Emirati bourses saw the release of first-quarter earnings reports from companies operating across various industries, such as International Holding Co. (ADX:IHC), d/b/a IHC, Bank of Sharjah (ADX:BOS), Burjeel Holdings (ADX:BURJEEL), and Emirates Central Cooling Systems (DFM:EMPOWER), d/b/a Empower.
IHC declined 0.49% despite a 33.2% year-over-year growth in revenue. Bank of Sharjah delivered a record performance for the quarter, backed by growth in net interest income and solid credit risk management, but closed the session 1.55% in the red.
Meanwhile, Burjeel Holdings and Emirates Central Cooling Systems both reported higher attributable profits and revenue and ended flat and 7.19% higher, respectively.
The UAE and Japan agreed to hold ministerial talks on expanding joint crude oil stockpiles in the country and increasing UAE crude supplies, Reuters reported, citing the Japanese industry ministry.
On the geopolitical front, Iran said it was reviewing a US proposal and will respond through Pakistani mediators. US President Donald Trump also said in a social media post that a deal will open the Strait of Hormuz for everyone, including Iran, and that the latter will face attacks at a "much higher level and intensity" if an agreement is not reached.
"A deal announcement would move futures further immediately, in fact even the potential of a deal is already triggering a decline in oil prices. However, the physical market does not run on political timelines. Even under an optimistic scenario involving a 30-day phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, meaningful volume recovery would happen in June at the earliest, with processing port arrivals lagging by an additional four to six weeks after that," Rystad Energy's Chief Oil Analyst Paola Rodriguez-Masiu commented. "Global markets should not mistake a ceasefire headline for a supply headline."