DUBAI, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Equity indexes of major stock markets in Gulf countries closed mixed on Sunday, which marked the first trading day in June in the Arab world, following U.S. bullish employment data released last Friday.
The Saudi Stock Exchange "Tadawul" posted the biggest gain on Sunday, closing 2.06 percent higher at 8,329.55.
Kuwait's premier market index advanced 0.42 percent to hit 4,710.03.
The Dubai Financial Market General Index picked up 0.78 percent to close at 2,987.25. Dubai Islamic Bank was the most active share by value, gaining 2.76 percent. AMAN Insurance lost the most, down by 4.12 percent.
Qatar's QE Index advanced by 0.57 percent, but Dubai's UAE sister market ADX in Abu Dhabi failed to follow and shed 0.85 percent to 4,566.05. Abu Dhabi energy giant TAQA plummeted 8 percent.
The MSM 30 Index in Muscat, Oman ended off 0.10 percent at 4,602.08. In Manama, Bahrain Bourse dipped 0.01 percent and closed at 1,265.64.
Earlier on Friday, the Islamic weekend, the U.S. labor market report by the U.S. Labor Department indicated that the world's biggest economy posted its unemployment rate at 3.8 percent in May, the lowest in 18 years.
A total of 223,000 jobs were created in the United States last month, beating economists' expectations of 190,000. The report boosted U.S. stock markets last Friday. Enditem
