Most Gulf markets in red on US slowdown worries

By Ateeq Shariff

(Reuters) - Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Tuesday due to fears of a U.S. economic downturn amid escalating trade tensions, although the stocks trimmed some of their earlier losses.

Investor concerns about the potential economic slowdown were exacerbated after President Donald Trump talked about a "period of transition" in a Fox News interview, while declining to predict if his tariffs would result in a U.S. recession.

Tariffs have been a key concern for investors, with many believing that they can hurt economic growth and be inflationary.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index closed 0.2% lower, after falling as much as 1.8% during the session, hit by a 1.6% fall in Al Rajhi Bank.

Dubai's main share index fell 0.3%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties losing 1.5% and top lender Emirates NBD retreating 2.1%.

In Abu Dhabi, the index dropped 1%.

U.S. economic growth showed signs of slowing after February's job growth fell short of expectations. Investors now await the Consumer Price Index report on Wednesday and the Producer Price Index data on Thursday to gauge the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates.

Monetary policy in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is usually guided by the Fed's decisions, as most regional currencies are pegged to the dollar.

The Qatari index slipped 0.5%, with Qatar National Bank, the Gulf's biggest lender, losing 1% and Barwa Real Estate Company plunging 7.6% as the realtor traded ex-dividend.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index concluded 0.7% lower, with Talaat Moustafa Group Holding declining 3%.

Meanwhile, Egypt's annual urban consumer price inflation plunged to 12.8% in February from 24.0% in January, decelerating even faster than analysts had expected, according to official data released on Monday.

SAUDI ARABIA lost 0.2% to 11,718

Abu Dhabi fell 1% to 9,299

Dubai eased 0.3% to 5,122

QATAR dropped 0.5% to 10,484

EGYPT down 0.7% to 30,935

BAHRAIN was down 0.5% to 1,963

OMAN was flat at 4,405

KUWAIT declined 0.9% to 8,525

(Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

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