Early Thursday Gulf bourses slipped: Saudi index -0.2%, Dubai -0.5%, Abu Dhabi -0.6%, Qatar -0.1%, with bank shares leading declines. Markets were hit by an escalation in Yemen and persistent uncertainty over ending the wider Middle East conflict aft

2026-10-29

Early Thursday Gulf bourses slipped: Saudi index -0.2%, Dubai -0.5%, Abu Dhabi -0.6%, Qatar -0.1%, with bank shares leading declines. Markets were hit by an escalation in Yemen and persistent uncertainty over ending the wider Middle East conflict after Yemeni government forces said Houthi fighters struck Aden airport on Wednesday (the Houthis had warned civilians to evacuate), and a Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed a ballistic missile fired toward eastern Saudi Arabia Arabia on Thursday. Negotiators said Qatar submitted a new draft agreement to Iran to end the war, but an Iranian senior official called Doha’s proposal unacceptable and not a formal offer.