UAE Markets Slide After Trump’s Tariffs Spark Global Selloff

UAE stock markets started the week on a shaky note after U.S. President Donald Trump’s new trade tariffs sent shockwaves through global markets.

The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) saw a sharp 5.95% drop, while the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) slipped 4.24%, following a similar selloff in Asian markets.

The impact was immediate. Takaful Emarat became the first DFM-listed company to hit the 10% daily loss cap.

Emaar Development wasn’t far behind, falling 9.95%, with the real estate sector overall dropping 9.4%, making it the day’s biggest loser.

Over on the ADX, major names like Abu Dhabi Ship Building Co. and Foodco National Foodstuff also hit their daily caps. Adnoc Gas, part of the state-backed oil giant, saw its shares tumble by 9.97% by midday.

These losses weren’t isolated to the UAE. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul had already dropped nearly 7% on Sunday, wiping out over half a trillion riyals in market value, with Saudi Aramco alone losing $90.6 billion.

Arun Leslie John, Chief Market Analyst at Century Financial, summed it up well—investor confidence across the GCC has been deeply shaken. With global recession fears growing and US-China trade tensions escalating, market volatility in the UAE may continue in the days ahead.