Stock News: Gulf Markets Choppy; Zain Saudi Plunges

Oil fell nearly $2 a barrel in Asian trade on Monday and both U.S. crude and Brent have fallen for five straight months.

Emirates Starts A380 San Francisco Flights

Houston will also join the airline’s superjumbo network this week

Oil Hits 5-Year Lows In Longest Losing Streak Since 2008 Crisis

Both U.S. crude and Brent have fallen for five straight months.

Saudi’s Almarai Says October Bakery Fire Will Not Impact Finances

One of the plants at the facility had been destroyed, while another had its structure partially damaged.

Qatar Court Overturns Conviction Of US Parents In Death Of Adopted Girl

The Huangs were arrested in January 2013 after their 8-year-old daughter, Gloria, died unexpectedly.

Gulf Stock Markets Bleed After OPEC Lets Oil Slide

Saudi Arabia’s bourse took the biggest hit, dropping 4.8 per cent to 8,625 points, its lowest close since early January.

Asia Will Feel Positive Impact Of Qatar 2022 – Official

Hassan Al Thawadi assured Asian Football Confederation members they too would also feel the positive affects of a first World Cup in the Middle East.

Almost 20% Of UAE Filipinos Mull Property Buy In The Philippines In 2015

Almost five out of 10 Filipinos living in the UAE are prioritising property investment in the Philippines, a survey finds.

Saudi’s Sipchem Says Proposes Dividend Of SAR0.65 For H2 2014

Sipchem’s proposed dividend is in line with what it paid in the corresponding period of 2013.

Majority Of UAE SMEs See Competition As Biggest Risk

Small and medium businesses in the UAE rated direct risks such as competition and weak consumer demand as more serious than damages from fire and supply chain disruptions, a new survey has found.

NBAD, HSBC, National Bank Of Egypt Arrange $1.5bn Loan For Egypt’s State Oil Company

The deal is a three year loan facility with each bank arranging $500 million of the loan, NBAD said in a statement.

FIFA Scandal: New Allegations Against Russia, Qatar World Cup Bids

The UK’s Sunday Times newspaper revealed fresh corruption allegations detailing how votes were reportedly bought and sold.

Oman Raysut Cement Says 2015 Costs To Rise 3% On Gas Price Hike

Raysut will try offset the impact of higher gas prices by making other cost reductions, improving efficiency and restructuring its own prices, according to a bourse filing.

Middle East Wealth Funds To Actively Invest In 2015

Sovereign wealth funds in the region are investing more in emerging markets such as Africa and China as they shift away from Western markets.

Saudi Builder Khodari Hires Advisor For SAR500m Rights Issue

The builder announced the proposed rights issue last Tuesday, saying it will use the money to expand its business.

Indian Carrier IndiGo Expands Dubai Operations

Indian low-cost airline spots budget travel opportunities to Bengaluru and Kozikhode

UAE Dirham Will Remain Pegged To US Dollar – Central Bank

The regulator denied reports that the country was studying the feasibility of continuing the peg between the dirham and the US dollar.

Stock News: Saudi Down To 11-Month Low, Dubai Falls To Five-Month Low After Oil Price Plunge

Brent crude prices have fallen about 10 per cent since regional equity markets last traded on Thursday.

Vodafone Qatar Scraps Bid For Broadband Firm

In October, Vodafone Qatar announced it had reached a non-binding agreement to buy QNBN.

Oman Cement Says Gas Costs In 2015 To Rise By $5.45m

The government plans to introduce hikes to gas prices in 2015.

HSBC Oman Says In Talks With Meezan Bank To Sell Pakistan Unit

HSBC Oman, 51 per cent owned by London-listed HSBC, said talks were preliminary and may or may not lead to a sale.

Arabs To Present Draft On Palestinian State To UN Security Council Within Days

A proposed resolution on a Palestinian state is unlikely to gain the support of veto-wielding council member the US, a key ally of Israel.

Bahrainis Vote In Second Round Of Parliamentary Election

Bahrain said participation in the first round was 53 per cent.

Egypt Repays $2.5bn Deposit To Qatar

The payment brings the amount Egypt has returned to Qatar to $6 billion, leaving $500 million outstanding.

Dubai’s Meraas Says Share Sale To Professional Investors Well Covered

Dubai Parks and Resorts, a unit of Meraas Holding, is selling 40 per cent of its shares.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince In Qatar To Seal Reconciliation Before Summit

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain agreed at an emergency meeting on Nov. 16 to return their ambassadors to Qatar.

Pakistan In Talks With Qatar About LNG Imports In 2015

Nearly half of Pakistan’s electricity is generated by gas.

Airbus Sells Part Of Dassault Back To French Planemaker

The move will result in a net reduction of Airbus Group’s stake from 46.3 per cent to 42.1 per cent.

UAE May Create Body To Monitor FX Peg, No Policy Change Likely

Since 1997, the UAE dirham has been fixed at a rate of 3.6725 to $1.

Dubai World Sets Meetings To Put New Deal To All Creditors

Meetings will take place in London on Dec. 1 and Dubai on Dec. 8.