Trader at Abu Dhabi stock market (Photo: Reuters)
Gulf Arab stock markets are taking a beating on the back of worries about unrest in Bahrain and Libya and concerns about Japan's post-earthquake nuclear crisis.
Saudi's benchmark Tadawul All Shares Index was down almost 3.9 per cent in midday trading, while the Dubai Financial Markets index was off 2.1 per cent. The losses affected companies in all sectors.
Bahrain's turmoil, which saw a Saudi-led military force deployed to try to support the tiny country's monarchy, has sharply unnerved markets in the oil rich Gulf. Adding to tensions is the violence in Libya, the bloodiest of the massive anti-government protests that have ravaged the region.
Kuwait's stock market closed down 1.2 per cent to 6,324 points while Qatar's benchmark index was down 1.6 per cent and Oman's fell almost 1.7 per cent.
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