Major stock markets in the Gulf rose in early trade on Tuesday, tracking gains in Asian shares, rebounding from a global selloff on hopes that the United States might be willing to negotiate some of its heavy import tariffs.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index advanced 2%, on course to extend gains from the previous session, led by a 2.3% rise in Al Rajhi Bank and a 2.1% increase in the country's biggest lender Saudi National Bank.

Among other gainers, oil giant Saudi Aramco rose 1.2%.

On Sunday, the Saudi index had fallen 6.8%, its biggest one-day slide since the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the kingdom's non-oil private sector activity grew rapidly in March with new orders boosted by lower prices and improved economic conditions, although the rate of growth slowed from January's near-14-year high, a survey showed.

Dubai's main share index climbed 1.9%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties rising 1.7% and sharia-compliant lender Dubai Islamic Bank jumping 2.4%.

In Abu Dhabi, the index rose 1.3%.

Oil prices - a catalyst for the Gulf's financial markets - were up around 1%, rebounding from a near-four-year low in the previous session on concerns that U.S. tariffs might depress demand and lead to a global recession, though analysts warned that downside risks remain.

The Qatari index increased 1.9%, with the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank rising 2.8%.

(Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru)