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November 17, 2016
Alternative Financing to Gain Prominence in GCC
However, the current low oil price environment has transformed the financing landscape in the region as traditional methods of financing such as bank loans are being fast replaced with alternatives such as bonds, private equity, crowdsourcing and IOU’s. The report added that budgetary deficits have forced the government to fix their deficits through debt issuance in both the domestic and international markets. The sudden spurt in debt issuance by the government and its related entities might be overwhelming for the...
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November 7, 2016
GCC Markets Mixed, OPEC Deal Uncertain
Selling pressure created by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) led to the fall in the Muscat index, while sharp fall seen in the Dubai index was attributed to profit booking, due to volatility in the international commodities and currency market. In terms of valuation, P/E of Morocco (18x), Qatar (14.3x) and Jordan (14.2x) markets were the premium markets in the MENA region, while the markets of Egypt (8.5x), Dubai (8.8x), and Oman (9.3x) were the discount markets. Blue Chips also had...
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October 6, 2016
GCC Markets Fall Despite Oil Price Rise
Although the oil price rose by over 4 per cent, on the back of the OPEC agreement to limit crude output, Saudi index fell considerably after the Saudi government announced that it was reducing salaries and allowances for public sector employees. Many investors believe that additional austerity steps, such as new fees or taxes on the kingdom's large workforce of foreigners, could also be approved soon. Middle East fund managers have turned negative towards Saudi Arabian equities for the next...
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October 5, 2016
Sources of Stock Market Wealth Creation: 3 Distinct Case Studies
Cash flows, ownership structure and free float shares of the company combined affect the dividend policies of the company. Industries Qatar for instance is majority owned by the government of Qatar. Traditionally regional governments’ have held majority stake in companies that deal in natural resources in the region. Industries Qatar is a good example of the role that government ownership plays in dividend policies. The government of Qatar owns close to 67% of the company and thus enjoys higher say...
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September 7, 2016
Oil Price Rebound Fails to Cheer GCC Markets
Blue Chips were mixed in August with DP World and Ooredoo gaining 8.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively. Four of the top five gainers were from Qatar, with Qatar National Bank and Industries Qatar share prices up by 7.5 percent and 6.1 percent respectively. Investors flooded their investments into Qatari large caps after the announcement of FTSE to include them into the emerging markets index on 24th August 2016. Saudi stocks were at the bottom, National commercial bank (NCB) and...
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September 4, 2016
GCC Corporate Earnings fall by 8% in First half of 2016. Expected to fall by 4% in 2016
Total earnings in 1H16 came in at USD 32.8 billion, partly supported by telecom and financial services sector. Among sectors, telecommunications and financial services posted positive earnings growth, as contribution from international markets and favorable exchange movements supported their bottom line. Earnings in banking sector remained flat while earnings in commodities, real estate and construction related sectors contracted as the fall in oil prices is increasingly felt across non-oil sectors. Blue chips fared relatively better, while earnings of mid-cap and...
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August 11, 2016
Flat July for GCC Markets
Blue chips drove Qatar’s index surge, with real estate (8.52%), telecoms (7.94%) and banking stocks (7.1%) performing well in July. The recently announced Qatar’s fuel subsidy reform will also help shrink its budget deficit by reducing expenditures; a move that will help investments in private sector. Saudi index fell due to fall in oil price, and the continued resilience of shale oil, as increasingly efficient US shale production continues to drive a wedge in OPEC’s strategy of flooding the market...
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July 28, 2016
Revealed: The 30 most valuable non-banking companies in GCC
ROE is one of the important parameters that is used to evaluate the strength of the company as well as the return the company generates for the equity holders. ROE is also a measure of efficiency of functioning of the company. Debt to equity (D/E) indicates the leverage and thereby the risk the company faces due to its capital structure. As D/E ratio is a comparative measure, we have ranked the companies based on the measure to indicate companies that...
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July 6, 2016
MENA Markets Mixed, Oil Flat Post – Brexit
S&P GCC rose marginally by 1.1% in June, to close at 91 points. Global investor reaction to the Brexit outcome had unnerved GCC investors, and speculation over a possible contagion in Europe had led to panic driven trading in the last two weeks of June. Investors have become more risk averse as uncertainty continues to plague global markets. In terms of valuation, P/E of Morocco (16.8x), Jordan (14.2x) and Kuwait (13.5x) markets were the premium markets in the MENA region,...
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July 4, 2016
What are the GCC region’s high margin industries?
Corporate profits and net margins at an aggregate level have been on a clear downward trend but the aggregate profit margin conceals diverging performances between the different sectors. Profit margins in sectors such as basic materials, industrials, energy, utilities and telecommunication services have been affected by various factors. Subdued activity in the infrastructure space, softening real estate activity and a prolonged working capital cycle have eroded margins for contractors and construction material providers. For firms operating in the energy and...