A. SREEENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)

The UAE stock markets posted strong gains in April 2026, with both Abu Dhabi and Dubai indices rebounding after the previous month’s declines, according to Kamco Invest data.

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) General Index rose 2.7% during the month to close at 9,778.76 points, recovering from a sharp 8.9% decline in March.

Sectoral performance on ADX was broadly positive, with eight out of ten sectors recording gains. The industrial sector led the rally, climbing 11.2%, supported by strong gains in constituent stocks, including a 38.1% rise in Orascom Construction.

The consumer staples sector followed with a 6.1% gain, driven by advances in stocks such as Agthia and Mair Group. In contrast, the utilities sector was the only major laggard, declining 4.9% during the month.

Among individual stocks, Abu Dhabi National Company for Building Materials (BILDCO) topped the gainers’ chart with a surge of 53.0%, followed by Orascom Construction and GFH Financial Group, which gained 38.1% and 30.4%, respectively. On the downside, ARAM Group recorded the steepest decline of 21.6%, followed by Insurance House and Phoenix Group, which fell 19.9% and 13.2%, respectively.

Trading activity on ADX softened during the month. Total volume declined by 14.1% to 6.1 billion shares, while the value of traded shares fell by 11.0% to Dh25.8 billion.

Abu Dhabi National Hotels was the most actively traded stock by volume with 636.2 million shares, followed by ADNOC Gas and Aldar Properties. In terms of value traded, Aldar Properties led with Dh3.6 billion, followed by Alpha Dhabi Holding and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) delivered the strongest performance in the GCC, with its General Index rising 6.1% to close at 5,766.05 points, partially recovering from a steep 16.4% drop in March.

Sectoral trends in Dubai were moderately positive, with five out of eight sectors posting gains. The industrial sector led the advance, with six out of eight constituent companies registering gains, including a 60.4% surge in Gulf Navigation Holding. The consumer discretionary sector followed with a 14.0% increase, driven by gains across all constituent stocks, led by Talabat Holding. The materials sector was the main underperformer, declining 5.1%.

On the stock front, Gulf Navigation Holding topped the gainers’ list with a 60.4% rise, followed by National International Holding and Gulf Finance House, which gained 31.4% and 28.2%, respectively. Gulf Navigation Holding Company recently approved a share buyback of up to 5%, subject to regulatory approval, among other key strategic decisions, including changing its name to Etihad Energy Holding.

On the decliners’ side, Dubai National Insurance recorded the largest fall of 6.2%, followed by Dubai Taxi Company and National General Insurance, both down 5.1%.

Trading activity on DFM showed mixed trends. Total traded volume increased by 5.4% to 5.4 billion shares, while the value of shares traded declined by 17.3% to Dh20.4 billion.

Talabat Holding led trading by volume with 840 million shares, followed by Emaar Properties and Drake & Scull International. In value terms, Emaar Properties dominated with Dh9.6 billion, followed by Emirates NBD and Emaar Development.