DUBAI  - Here are some factors that may affect Middle East stock markets on Thursday. Reuters has not verified the press reports and does not vouch for their accuracy.

INTERNATIONAL/REGIONAL

* GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia stocks reach record highs after Wall St surge, dollar edges back  

* MIDEAST STOCKS-Big Qatar banks diverge on Q4 earnings in mixed Gulf 

* Oil edges up on falling US crude inventories, but supply remains ample  

* PRECIOUS-Gold hits 1-week low as dollar picks up  

* Middle East Crude-Dubai slips to lowest in more than a month  

* Turkey says could act in Syria unless Washington withdraws support for Kurdish force  

* Morocco needs dialogue on inflationary flexible dirham, official says  

* U.S. signals open-ended presence in Syria, seeks patience on Assad's removal  

* Trump denies U.S. embassy to be moved to Jerusalem within a year

* U.N. chief says don't harm Iran nuclear deal over unrelated issues  

* Sovereign investor 2017 deal values down 24 pct at $72 bln  

* Uber's mideast rival Careem holds IPO talks with banks - Bloomberg  

* Libyan dinar climbs steeply against dollar on parallel market  

* Schools, health could be hit by US cut for Palestinian refugee funds-UNRWA chief  

* Borsa Istanbul chairman says still aims for IPO in Q2 

EGYPT

* Marubeni, Abu Dhabi's Masdar in $900 million Egypt wind plan- Bloomberg 

* Egypt to issue dollar-denominated Eurobond in first half of Feb - minister 

SAUDI ARABIA

* Banks expected to share tiny proportion of mammoth Saudi Aramco IPO 

* Saudi Arabia deposits $2 bln in Yemen central bank to back currency 

* Sale process for Saudi flour mills to be announced in Q2-adviser 

* Kingdom Holding Signs 620 MLN Riyals Infrastructure Networks Contract 

* Saudi government announces tender to build 60 schools, ease burden on state 



UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

* EXCLUSIVE-Weeks of talks fail to resolve Dana Gas sukuk dispute - sources 

* Abu Dhabi's Masdar seals $188 mln funding for Jordan solar project 

* Dubai Islamic Bank weighs capital-raising in 2018 -CEO 

* Emirates NBD hires StanChart for potential Formosa bond -sources

* TABLE-UAE's Fujairah oil inventory data for week ended Jan 15

QATAR

* Qatar Airways says offered 25 pct stake by U.S. startup airline  

KUWAIT

* Kuwait's Jazeera Airways load factor rose to 74.5 pct in 2017 - CEO  

* Kuwait's ALAFCO considers issuing Islamic bond - CEO  

* Kuwait oil minister says so far no plan to exit oil cuts  

(Compiled by Dubai newsroom)