The United Arab Emirates has directed its stock exchanges to close on Monday and Tuesday as the nation grapples with the fallout from Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks, underscoring the widening economic disruption across the Gulf.
The UAE Capital Markets Authority said the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market would remain shut on 2nd and 3rd March, citing its supervisory and regulatory responsibilities over the country’s capital markets.
“In implementation of its supervisory and regulatory role over the UAE capital markets, and pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations, the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA) announces that the UAE capital markets (Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM) will be closed on Monday, March 2, and Tuesday, March 3, 2026,” CMA said in a statement sent to Khaleej Times on Sunday.
The UAE’s two stock exchanges host some of the region’s most valuable publicly traded companies.
Their closure leaves billions of Dollars’ worth of listed assets effectively frozen, as investors wait for clearer details on the extent of the damage from the weekend’s strikes, which targeted airports, ports and residential areas across the UAE and the wider Gulf region.
Gulf markets that opened on Sunday posted steep losses. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index dropped more than 4% at the open, Oman’s market fell 3%, and Egypt’s main index slid 5.44%, while Kuwait halted trading altogether.
Investors were urged to monitor official updates from the UAE Capital Markets Authority, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) regarding the resumption of trading, Reuters news agency reports.