BHB All Share Index Sees Modest Growth in July

The Bahrain Bourse (BHB) All Share Index saw a modest 0.6 per cent gain in July, following a 1.2pc rise in June, to close the month at 1,955.63 points.

Analysis by Kuwait-based Kamco Invest shows that the Financials Index, a key component of the overall market, led the gains with a 2pc increase, driven by strong performances from GFH Financial Group and Ithmaar Holding, which saw their share prices climb 9pc and 20pc, respectively. In contrast, the Materials Index declined by 3.8pc, mirroring a similar drop in its sole constituent, Alba.

The Communications Services Index also posted a 1.6pc gain for the month, largely due to a 1.7pc share price increase for Zain Bahrain.

Trading activity on the exchange saw a notable surge. The volume of shares traded more than doubled to 161.2 million, a 108.2pc increase from 77.4m shares in June. The total value of shares traded also jumped 58.3pc to BD28.9m. GFH Financial Group was the most traded stock by both volume and value.

In economic news, Bahrain’s non-oil imports rose 9pc in the second quarter of 2025 to BD1.5 billion. China was the largest source of imports, accounting for 14pc of the total, followed by the UAE and Australia.

Non-oil exports, meanwhile, increased 12pc to BD997m. Saudi Arabia was the top destination for exports, making up 22pc of the total, followed by the UAE and the US.

Zooming out, the GCC index continued its upward trend in July, with the MSCI GCC index rising 2.2pc for the month, its second consecutive monthly gain. The increase was driven by optimism over second-quarter earnings and broad gains across the region’s exchanges.

Dubai was the top-performing market, surging 7.9pc. Saudi Arabia was the only market to decline, falling 1.5pc as investor concerns about the impact of oil prices hovering around $70 a barrel outweighed positive quarterly earnings reports.

Year-to-date, the GCC index is up 3.7pc, with most markets showing gains. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, however, have seen declines of 9.3pc and 1.5pc, respectively.

Among sectors, Real Estate led the gains with a 5.2pc increase, followed by Capital Goods and Banks, which rose 4.1pc and 3.7pc, respectively. The Telecom index also posted a 3.5pc gain. The Insurance sector experienced the biggest drop, falling 9.1pc.