Closing bell: GCC markets lose sheen as investors bide their time 

Closing bell: GCC markets lose sheen as investors bide their time 

RIYADH: Equity markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council region remained lackluster on Thursday as investor apathy loomed large across all critical indices of the region. While Dubai Financial Market General Index closed highest among all indices at 28.69 points to 3,445.70, Tadawul All Share Index was the poorest performer losing 95.56 points to 10,412.16. FTSE ADX General Index, MSX 30 Index and Bahrain All Share Index closed up slightly at 10,010.64, 4,768.67 and 1,936.98, respectively. Qatar Exchange Index fell 78.20 points to 10,424.20, even as Boursa Kuwait Premier Market Index slipped 33 points to 8,201.47. “Kuwait and Qatari benchmarks declined today by 0.7 percent each while the rest of the markets in the GCC were flattish, with only Dubai seeing a noticeable gain of 0.8 percent,” Junaid Ansari, head of investment strategy and research at Kuwait-based Kamco Invest, told Arab News. “The decline in Kuwait was led mainly by the mid and small-cap Main Market Index, which dropped 2 percent while the Premier Market Index dropped by 0.4 percent,” Ansari added. Oil prices also remained contained on Thursday as Brent crude LCOc1 futures dipped 12 cents to $84.97 a barrel by 3:27 p.m. Riyadh time, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate