Biggest Dubai IPO in 3 Years Has Worst Debut Since 2014

Emaar Development shares fell as much as 7.1 percent Wednesday
Geopolitical concern in the region is impacting trading

An Emaar Properties PJSC sign stands beside billboards promoting the Opera district developments near the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Filipe Pacheco

November 23, 2017 at 5:21 AM UTC

Updated on

November 23, 2017 at 10:03 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Geopolitical risk in the Middle East took a toll on the debut of a stock linked to one of the strongest brands investors can find in the United Arab Emirates market.

Emaar Development PJSC, the U.A.E. real estate developer that began trading in Dubai on Wednesday, fell 4.3 percent. That was the worst debut trading day since 2014 among the 10 biggest initial public offerings in the Middle East and Africa over that time span, Bloomberg data show. The company is the local development arm of Emaar Properties PJSC, a company that’s 30 percent owned by the government of Dubai and the developer of the world’s tallest skyscraper. It closed 0.4 percent lower on Thursday.