- Key indices mostly gained in July: The Premier Market Index rose 1.5%, the Main 50 Index gained 2.4%, and the All Share Index increased 0.6%, while the Main Market Index fell 3.6%.
- Trading activity declined sharply: Total market liquidity dropped 24.8% month-on-month to 1.6 billion dinars, while average daily trading value fell 28.3% to 72.8 million dinars, largely due to renewed regional military tensions.
- Liquidity remained highly concentrated: Half of the listed companies attracted only 6.7% of total market liquidity, while just 12 companies accounted for 20.3% of trading despite representing only 3.2% of total market capitalization.
- Premier Market dominated trading: The Premier Market accounted for 57.6% of July’s total liquidity and 67.4% of trading during the first seven months of 2026, highlighting investors’ continued preference for larger, more liquid stocks.
Kuwait’s stock market delivered mixed results in July, with most key indices recording gains despite a sharp decline in trading activity, according to the latest monthly report by Al-Shall Consulting and Investment.
The report said the Premier Market Index rose 1.5 percent during the month, while the Main 50 Index gained 2.4 percent and the All Share Index advanced 0.6 percent. In contrast, the Main Market Index declined by 3.6 percent.
Trading activity weakened considerably during July, with total market liquidity falling to approximately 1.6 billion dinars (US$5.2 billion), compared with 2.1 billion dinars (US$6.8 billion) in June, representing a decline of 24.8 percent. The report attributed the slowdown primarily to renewed military operations in the region, which weighed on investor sentiment.
Average daily trading value also declined significantly, falling 28.3 percent to 72.8 million dinars (US$237 million) from 101.5 million dinars (US$330.4 million) in June.
During the first seven months of 2026, total market liquidity reached 11.4 billion dinars (US$37.1 billion), while the average daily trading value stood at 82.8 million dinars (US$269.5 million), down 23.8 percent compared with the same period last year.
The report highlighted an uneven distribution of market liquidity, noting that half of the companies listed on the Kuwait Bourse attracted only 6.7 percent of total trading liquidity. Among them, 50 companies accounted for just 2.7 percent of total liquidity, while two listed firms recorded no trading activity during the period.
Conversely, 12 relatively small but highly liquid companies, representing only 3.2 percent of the market’s total capitalization, attracted 20.3 percent of overall market liquidity, underscoring the concentration of investor activity in a limited number of stocks.
The Premier Market continued to dominate trading, attracting 922.5 million dinars (US$3 billion), or 57.6 percent of total market liquidity in July.
Nearly half of the companies listed on the Premier Market accounted for 74.6 percent of its liquidity, equivalent to 43 percent of total market liquidity, while two companies alone captured 32.6 percent of the segment’s trading value.
Meanwhile, the Main Market recorded 678.7 million dinars (US$2.2 billion) in liquidity, representing 42.4 percent of total market trading during July. Around 20 percent of listed companies accounted for 76 percent of the market’s liquidity, with the remaining 80 percent of companies sharing just 24 percent.
The report added that the Premier Market accounted for 67.4 percent of total trading value during the first seven months of 2026, while the Main Market represented the remaining 32.6 percent, reflecting investors’ continued preference for larger, more liquid stocks.
— KUNA
