Mideast Stocks: Qatar leads Gulf markets higher, Abu Dhabi extends losses

Mideast Stocks: Qatar leads Gulf markets higher, Abu Dhabi extends losses

Qatar's stock market ended three sessions of losses and outperformed the Gulf region on Tuesday, while the Abu Dhabi stocks extended losses on price corrections.

In Qatar, the index advanced 1.5%, as most of the stocks traded in positive territory, including Qatar Islamic Bank, which gained 2.2%.

The rebound in Qatari stock market came as the country signed a new natural gas delivery agreement with Germany, Fadi Reyad, Chief Market Analyst at CAPEX.com.

"At the same time, natural gas prices remained on an uptrend."

Germany is set to receive new flows of Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 2026 after QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips on Tuesday signed two sales and purchase agreements for its export covering at least a 15-year period.

QatarEnergy and German utility firms have been thrashing out long-term LNG deals for much of this year as Berlin looks for alternatives to Russia, which is Germany's biggest gas supplier.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index added 0.1%, helped by a 3.1% jump in oil giant Saudi Aramco.

Crude prices, a key catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets, jumped by 3% on hopes of a relaxation to China's strict COVID-19 controls after rare protests in Chinese cities over the weekend.

Chinese health officials said on Tuesday the country plans to