UAE Suspends Stock Trading Amid Iran Strikes

UAE’s Capital Markets Authority shut both the Abu Dhabi (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM) stock exchanges for March 2–3 after Iran struck major ports and oil tankers across the Middle East. The ADX and DFM are the two primary equities exchanges in the United Arab Emirates, together serving as the Gulf region’s key capital market hubs.

Iran’s strikes effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint through which roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day and nearly 20% of global LNG exports transit. A sustained Hormuz closure could push oil above $100 per barrel, with the Kobeissi Letter analysis warning of US CPI inflation toward 5%.

War-risk insurance costs have jumped ~50%, adding hundreds of thousands of dollars per voyage and reducing global trade flow; shipping reroutes around Africa add 10–14 extra days to deliveries, slowing just-in-time manufacturing supply chains. Qatar faces potential supply delays as the Hormuz route remains disrupted, and Israel extended its state of emergency through March 12, 2026.

United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Dubai

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