Gold surges for the ninth consecutive week, touching a new high of $4,379 per ounce.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 19: Gold prices extended their historic rally for the ninth consecutive week, closing at $4,251 per ounce, according to a specialized report issued Sunday by Dar Al-Sabayek, a Kuwaiti precious metals company. The yellow metal recorded weekly gains of 5.32%, after briefly touching a record high of $4,379 per ounce during the last trading session, before easing slightly amid improved investor risk appetite and a stronger US dollar.

Despite a 3% pullback following market-soothing comments related to the US-China trade dispute, the overall outlook for gold remains bullish, driven by a range of supportive global factors.

Dar Al-Sabayek’s report indicated that expectations of a 25-basis-point interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve at its upcoming meeting—and the potential for a second cut in December—continue to fuel institutional demand for gold as a safe-haven asset. Additional factors include uncertainty surrounding the US government shutdown, central bank purchases, and strong traded flows, all of which reflect broader concerns and hedging activity among global investors.

The report noted that geopolitical tensions and rising credit risks in the United States are contributing to sustained hedging behavior, even amid day-to-day price volatility. Meanwhile, the US dollar index remained relatively firm, hovering near 98.40 against major currencies, tempering further gains for the precious metal.

The tone of the US Federal Reserve remains cautious, the report said, with some members supporting rate cuts while reaffirming their commitment to the 2% inflation target. Future policy decisions are expected to be highly data-driven, with particular attention to this week’s release of the US Consumer Price Index (CPI), which coincides with the launch of the corporate earnings season and may influence consumer demand and spending patterns.

Market focus is also shifting toward global economic indicators, including Chinese GDP, trade, and inflation data, as well as Purchasing Managers’ Indices (PMIs) in Europe, the UK, Japan, India, and Australia. Upcoming monetary policy decisions in Turkey, Indonesia, and South Korea may also reshape risk sentiment and investment flows, further influencing gold prices.

Dar Al-Sabayek emphasized that gold’s medium-term upward trend, which began in November 2022, remains intact, driven by ongoing global uncertainties. However, it cautioned that with prices approaching historical highs, periods of short-term profit-taking are expected. Nonetheless, any dip toward key support levels may present fresh opportunities for long-term investors, particularly those concerned with issues such as global debt accumulation, sluggish economic growth, and waning confidence in the US dollar.

These global trends have also been reflected in the Kuwaiti domestic market, where the price of 24-karat gold reached KD 42.50 (approximately USD 140.20) per gram, and 22-karat gold was priced at KD 38.96 (approximately USD 128.30). Meanwhile, a kilogram of silver was recorded at KD 625 (around USD 2,062).

H.E. Ayub Khan Yunusov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 18: Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Kuwait Ayub Khan Yunusov said the representatives of 20 Kuwaiti companies will visit his country next month to meet with their Uzbek counterparts and identify opportunities for cooperation. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Uzbek Language Day celebration, Yunusov disclosed that around 200 Kuwaitis visited Uzbekistan in September, and he expects this number to increase to more than 500 before the end of the year.

He stated that there are four direct flights per week, and that the Uzbek community in Kuwait numbers less than 300, most of whom work in the fields of medicine, education, music and engineering, particularly at the new Kuwait Airport He also affirmed the presence of several Kuwaiti investments in his country, the most recent of which is in the health sector in the city of Sirgana, through the establishment of medical laboratories there. Regarding the occasion, Yunusov stated that his country celebrates Uzbek Language Day on Oct 21 each year, stressing it is a precious national occasion to renew pride in cultural identity and strengthen the status of the mother tongue as an official language, which expresses the unity of the Uzbek people and their ancient history.

By Fares Ghaleb Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff 

Kuwait Stock Exchange leads Gulf markets with highest gains in first nine months of 2025.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 18: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) recorded the highest gains among the seven Gulf bourses and posted the third-highest relative increase in liquidity during the first nine months of 2025, according to a specialized economic report released Friday.

The report, issued by Al-Shall Consulting Company, revealed that Boursa Kuwait achieved a notable 19.5 percent gain in its index by the end of September compared to the same period last year. In addition, the market’s liquidity grew by approximately 89.7 percent, ranking third among the Gulf exchanges.

Despite these gains, the total liquidity across the seven Gulf stock exchanges dropped by 11.4 percent to USD 468.4 billion in the first nine months of 2025, down from USD 528.6 billion during the corresponding period of 2024. The decline was primarily attributed to a significant reduction in liquidity in the Saudi market, alongside a minor decrease in the Qatari Stock Exchange.

Muscat Stock Exchange (MSE) recorded the highest relative increase in liquidity at 204.8 percent compared to the first nine months of 2024, with its index posting the region’s second-highest gains of approximately 13.22 percent.

The Bahrain Bourse (BHB) followed with the second-highest liquidity increase of around 93.3 percent; however, its index diverged from this trend, recording losses of about 1.9 percent compared to the end of 2024.

Dubai Financial Market (DFM) ranked fourth in liquidity growth with an 83.2 percent increase, and its index closely tracked this trend, rising about 13.20 percent.

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) registered the lowest relative liquidity increase at approximately 17.2 percent, with its index gaining 6.3 percent compared to the previous year-end.

The Saudi market experienced the sharpest decline in liquidity, down nearly 31 percent, with its index suffering the steepest losses in the region at about 4.4 percent. Meanwhile, the Qatar Stock Exchange saw a 2.5 percent decrease in liquidity, with its index posting the lowest regional gains of roughly 4.6 percent.

The report highlighted that five of the Gulf markets showed consistency between liquidity trends and index movements, while two markets—Bahrain and Qatar—showed deviations from this pattern.