KIPCO Invest: Kuwait Stock Exchange is the only Gulf exchange to record an increase in trading volume

Kuwait Capital Management (KAMCO) stated in a report on trading activities in Gulf stock exchanges during the second quarter of 2026 that the volume of shares traded in six out of seven Gulf stock exchanges declined compared to the previous quarter. Kuwait was the only market to record an increase in trading volume, with the number of shares traded on the Kuwait Stock Exchange rising by 41.9% quarter-on-quarter to reach 17.2 billion shares in Q2 2026, compared to 12.1 billion shares in Q1 2026.

Conversely, trading activity declined in the other Gulf markets. Abu Dhabi recorded the largest drop, with the volume of shares traded falling by 41.8% quarter-on-quarter, followed by Oman at 36.3%, and Dubai at 34.9%. Saudi Arabia and Qatar also saw declines in the volume of shares traded, at 24.3% and 18.9%, respectively.

At the same time, the total value of trades in Gulf markets increased during the second quarter of 2026, despite the decline in the volume of shares traded, reflecting an increase in the average value of transactions in several markets. The total value of shares traded rose by 8.8% quarter-on-quarter to reach $157.7 billion in Q2 2026, compared to $145.0 billion in Q1 2026.

On an individual exchange basis, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Oman recorded quarter-on-quarter declines in the value of shares traded, while the other Gulf markets posted gains. Kuwait recorded the strongest increase in trading activity, with the value of shares traded rising from $12.1 billion in Q1 2026 to $19.9 billion in Q2 2026. This increased Kuwait’s share of the total trading value in Gulf markets to 12.6%, up from 8.4% in the previous quarter.

Saudi Arabia recorded a notable increase, with the value of shares traded rising from $77.5 billion in Q1 2026 to $86.4 billion in Q2 2026. Similarly, Bahrain and Qatar posted positive quarter-on-quarter growth, with trading values increasing by 15.3% and 2.5%, respectively.