-- Emirati equities extended their gains to a third day as the FTSE ADX General Index gained 0.261%, and the DFM General Index added 1.077% at the close of Thursday trading.
US President Donald Trump said in a social post that Israel and Lebanon will speak on Thursday. Trump also mentioned that China is "very happy" with his permanent opening of the Hormuz waterway and agreed not to send its weapons to Iran.
Oil prices remained steady amid the US blockade of Iranian ports, with the US Central Command stating that no vessels were able to pass their forces, while nine vessels were ordered to turn back to Iran in the first 48 hours of the blockade.
"For now, our base case is that energy flows will start to make a gradual recovery through the second quarter. However, flows will remain below pre-war levels until at least year-end. This would see Brent averaging $96/bbl over 2Q26 and $89/bbl over the full year 2026. A more extreme scenario would be where Persian Gulf flows remain mostly cut off, while escalation sees extensive infrastructure damage, and risks to Red Sea oil flows also grow, which could see Brent trading over $150/bbl," ING said.
Zooming in at home, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates issued a revised guidance on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism and proliferation financing to boost the efficiency of the financial sector.
Back home, Aldar Properties (ADX:ALDAR) added 0.12% as it closed a 5 billion-Emirati-dirham sustainability-linked revolving syndicated credit facility to bolster its liquidity position and financial flexibility.
Dubai-listed Emirates NBD (DFM:EMIRATESNBD) partnered with Dubai Holding Real Estate to offer integrated mortgage financing services to enhance off-plan home purchases in Dubai. Shares of the lender closed the session 1.50% in the red.