Kuwait bourse tops GCC markets with 14.8% growth in H1 2025

Kamco Invest reported a notable recovery in Gulf stock markets during June 2025, with the MSCI GCC Index rising by 3.1 percent over the month. This rebound followed a decline in the first half of June, which had brought the index to its lowest levels in two months.

The firm highlighted that most Gulf markets contributed to this upward momentum, with the exception of Muscat, which recorded a monthly drop of 1.3 percent. Kuwait led the region with a gain of 4.2 percent, closely followed by Dubai at 4.1 percent, reports Al-Rai daily.

Sector-wise, the overall performance was largely positive across the region. The insurance sector stood out with the strongest growth, rising by 8.2 percent. It was followed by the long-term commodities and banking sectors, which increased by 6.7 percent and 4 percent, respectively. The energy sector, however, saw a marginal decline of 0.6 percent.

June’s rally helped strengthen the region’s half-yearly performance, pushing the overall GCC index into positive territory with a gain of 1.5 percent. Kuwait maintained its leadership position, achieving the highest half-year growth among Gulf markets at 14.8 percent. This performance was driven largely by the Premier Market Index, which soared by 17.2 percent during the first half of the year.

Boursa Kuwait posted solid and broad-based gains throughout June, with all sectors closing in positive territory. The Premier Market Index surpassed the 9,000-point mark to end at 9,187.5 points, up 4.4 percent for the month. The Main Market Index and the Main 50 Index also rose, by 3.3 percent and 0.2 percent respectively, while the All-Share Index closed the month 4.2 percent higher at 8,455.2 points.

Across the first half of 2025, the Kuwaiti market outperformed its regional peers. The General Market Index rose by 14.8 percent, backed by robust activity in large-cap stocks. The Main Market 50 and Main Market indices gained 6.1 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively.

In terms of sector performance, the consumer goods sector led with a 9.1 percent rise, followed by the real estate and banking sectors at 7.7 percent and 6.2 percent. Meanwhile, the industrial sector suffered the steepest decline of 8 percent, trailed by the basic materials and consumer services sectors with drops of 6.6 percent and 2.4 percent. Large-cap sectors such as banking and telecom also performed well, rising 6.2 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

Trading activity on Boursa Kuwait was vibrant during the month, with total traded share volume increasing by 25.5 percent to 9.2 billion shares, up from 7.4 billion in May.

The total value of trades rose by 14.1 percent, reaching KD 2.1 billion. Warba Bank topped the trading volume chart with 732.7 million shares exchanged, followed by GFH Group and Kuwait International Bank with 607.2 million and 554.5 million shares, respectively.

In terms of trade value, Kuwait Finance House (KFH) led with KD 297.1 million in transactions, ahead of Warba Bank and Kuwait International at KD 188.8 million and KD 140.5 million, respectively.

The Saudi market also ended the month positively. The Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) broke the 11,000-point psychological barrier, reaching a peak of 11,202.64 points before ending June at 11,164 points, up 1.6 percent. Despite this gain, the index remained 7.2 percent lower over the first half of the year. However, IPO activity remained strong, with six companies raising around $2.8 billion.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets extended their gains for the third straight month. The FTSE Abu Dhabi Index rose by 2.8 percent in June to close at 9,957.52 points, raising its year-to-date gains to 5.7 percent. Eight of ten sectors advanced during the month. Similarly, the Dubai Financial Market General Index climbed 4.1 percent to 5,705.76 points, bringing its total gains for 2025 to 10.6 percent.

In Qatar, the stock market posted solid gains in the second quarter. The QSE Index closed June up 2.7 percent at 10,749.5 points, while the All Share Index increased by 2.6 percent. The insurance sector led performance with a 5 percent gain, followed by transportation and communications at 3.9 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The real estate sector, however, fell by 1.5 percent. Overall, the QSE Index rose 1.7 percent in the first half of 2025, while the All Share Index recorded a stronger 5.3 percent increase.

The Bahrain Bourse also continued its positive trajectory, gaining 1.2 percent in June after a modest 0.5 percent rise in May. The index ended the month at 1,943.8 points, supported by gains in four out of seven sectors. The financial sector, heavily weighted on the index, grew by 0.9 percent, bolstered by strong performances from GFH Financial Group and Kuwait Finance House.