Dubai: A professional requisite to see the overall improvement of trading activities and the futures market has opened a dialogue with Brokerage House Securities’ (BHS), Talal Touqan. The Head of Research & Advisory spoke on ‘attracting more institutional inflows in to the Middle East markets’. Financial specialists echoed Talal’s comments during the panel discussion titled “The role played by futures in channelling institutional flows in to an emerging market”. The discussion itself being part of the full day MSCI East Research Conference, held recently in Dubai.

During discourse, the panel, moderated by Tahir Mahmood, Head of Business Development, NasdaqDubai had contributions from panellists Talal Touqan, Nabil Al Rantisi; Managing Director, Capital Markets, Daman Investments; and Raman Subramanian; Managing Director, Equity Solutions Research, MSCI. Discussions revolved around proposed key roles of the futures markets, Saudi Arabia as a fledgling emerging market and the incentivising foreign investment.

Extending the discussion, Talal Touqan from BHS talked about the importance and benefits an upgrade to emerging status will have on the region. “The session in the MSCI Middles East Research Conference centred on what key roles do the futures market play in guiding institutional flows into the emerging markets. My contribution extended to discuss what an upgrade to emerging status will mean to the to the region. Firstly, I explained how opportunities evolve, while addressing key challenges to attract foreign inflows, and the potential inherent risks entailed. Secondly, I highlighted the impact of passive inflows on stock pricings and corporate governance, followed by an elaboration on how international investors are expected to look at the MENA region given Saudi’s upgrade to an emerging status. The discussion was closed with key recommendations to improve the futures market along with constructive propositions to bolster trading activity; feeding more foreign investment towards our region.”

Touqan further elaborated on how opportunities evolve, while addressing specific challenges to aid Saudi Arabia in attracting foreign inflows, and the potential pitfalls that may lie ahead. The kingdom’s efforts to modernise their stock markets came to fruition, when MSCI Inc. announced the addition of Saudi Arabia in to the fold of emerging markets. The index compiler, which has more than $1.9 trillion in assets benchmarked to its group of emerging markets indexes, subsequently reclassified Saudi Arabia with the implementation of its indexes, effective June 2019.

Concluding his statement, Touqan closed with an optimistic disposition toward the potential billions of dollars from money managers worldwide, aiding the improvement of liquidity in the biggest stock market in the Middle East and Africa. New waves of fiscal reforms and forward-looking policies will reshape the region and subsequently draw the attention of foreign investment.

© Press Release 2018

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