Dubai
The market value of shares owned by foreign nationals in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) has reached Dh44.6 billion by August 2016, an increase of 11 per cent compared to the same period of last year.
The value represents 10 per cent of total market capitalisation of companies listed on ADX, which equalled Dh441.6 billion; Dh31.2 billion for non-Arab investors, Dh11.1 billion for GCC investors, and Dh2.3 billion for general Arab investors, a statement issued by ADX said.
“Foreign liquidity has been in constant flow to our market since the beginning of the year, which reflects the confidence in the investment opportunities available in Abu Dhabi,” Rashed Al Beloushi, Chief Executive of ADX said.
According to Al Beloushi, the ADX Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E ratio) reaches 12 times, which represents the attractive investment opportunities available on the exchange.
“This reflects the continuous growth potential and minimal business risks that ADX companies’ have to offer,” he added.
The banking, real-estate and telecommunications sectors remained the most attractive for investors due to the high gains in investments each year. The foreign-owned shares in these sectors reached 25 per cent of total ownership. So far, foreign nationals own more than 8 billion shares in the banking sector alone.
Cash dividends for the three sectors equalled Dh20.5 billion in 2015 representing 93 per cent of total cash dividends or Dh22 billion in ADX.
Etisalat, First Gulf Bank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank topped the list of companies enjoying the highest cash dividends with Dh16.14 billion, equalling 73 per cent of total cash dividends in ADX.
