DUBAI: Stocks in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia extended their weekly gaining streak, boosted by rising oil prices and improving business activity in the non-oil sector. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index added 1.7% in its fourth consecutive weekly gains, as Brent crude has risen in four of last five weeks, according to Refinitiv data. Sentiment was also boosted by a survey showing Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector expanded for the ninth consecutive month in May.
The stock index was up 0.4% on Thursday, rising for an eighth straight session, helped by a 4.3% jump in Saudi Telecom.
The Dubai index fell 0.5% but logged its fifth weekly gain in a row. Emirates NBD Bank dropped 1.4% and Damac Properties declined 3.5% for the day.
Abu Dhabi's index closed down 0.3%. Emirates Telecommunications Group and First Abu Dhabi Bank shed 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively. The stock index registered a fifth weekly rise.
The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector expanded for a sixth consecutive month in May, a survey showed.
Qatar's index fell 0.5%, wiping out its gain for the week. The index was down 0.1% for the week.
Commercial Bank led the losers, shedding 1.6%. The lender offered to buy an additional 15.2% stake in National Bank of Oman for 49.4 million rials.
Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index was down 0.7% with Fawry For Banking Technology And Electronic Payment and Commercial International Bank dropping 3.2% and 0.1%, respectively.
The Egyptian index posted its third consecutive weekly drop, down 1.8%.
Egypt's non-oil private sector contracted for a sixth consecutive month in May, with HIS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI)stood at 48.6 - below the 50.0 threshold that separates growth from contraction.
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