In July, Arab stock markets experienced a notable uptick in trading activity, with the volume of shares traded surging by 28.82% compared to the previous month. This increase brought the total trading volume to 261.86 billion shares, up from 203.27 billion shares in June. Key contributors to this surge were the Iraq Stock Exchange and Egypt, which played significant roles in driving the volume upward.
Despite the rise in trading volume, the overall value of transactions saw a decline of 16.82%, dropping to $90.24 billion in July from $108.48 billion in June. Several major markets, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait, reported decreases in transaction values, pointing to a complex landscape where increased activity did not translate into higher transaction values.
The performance of regional stock markets presented a mixed picture. Egypt’s EGX30 index stood out as a strong performer, posting a gain of 5.85% during the month. Elsewhere, some regional exchanges also experienced gains, reflecting varied dynamics across different markets in the region.
Overall, the combined market capitalization of Arab stock exchanges saw a slight rise, increasing by 0.06% to approximately $4.31 trillion. This marginal increase in market capitalization underscores the stability within the region’s equity markets despite the fluctuations in trading activity and transaction values.
The data from July highlights a landscape of increased trading activity across Arab markets, set against a backdrop of weaker transaction values and diverse performance levels among major regional equity markets. These developments suggest a complex and dynamic financial environment in the Arab world’s stock exchanges.