By Ateeq Shariff
Stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Sunday, with investors seeking new catalysts as optimism over the U.S.-China trade agreement started to fade.
Saudi Arabia's benchmark index TADAWUL:TASI fell 0.4%, hit by a 0.9% fall in Al Rajhi Bank TADAWUL:1120 and a 1% decrease in the country's biggest lender Saudi National Bank TADAWUL:1180.
Oil - a driver for the Gulf's financial markets - settled higher on Friday, notching a second straight week of gains on easing U.S.-China trade tensions, though prices were held back by expectations of higher supply from Iran and OPEC+.
The Qatari index QSE:GNRI gained 0.6%, led by a 2.1% rise in Qatar Islamic Bank QSE:QIBK.
Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index EGX:EGX30 retreated 0.7%, weighed down by a 2.4% slide in tobacco monopoly Eastern Company EGX:EAST.
SAUDI ARABIA
TADAWUL:TASI lost 0.4% to 11,439
QATAR
QSE:GNRI gained 0.6% to 10,575
EGYPT
EGX:EGX30 down 0.7% to 31,714
BAHRAIN
BAHRAIN:BHBX finished flat at 1,921
OMAN
(.MSX30) added 0.6% to 4,436
KUWAIT
(.BKP) dropped 0.3% to 8,735