Saxo Bank: Facebook ranks number one as the most traded stock in the UAE amidst fluctuating oil prices in 2016

Tech and pharmaceutical companies in high demand for UAE stock traders as fluctuating oil prices move oil and gas companies down the profitability rank  

Dubai, UAE, January 23, 2017:  Saxo Bank, the online multi-asset trading and investment specialist, has announced the five most traded stocks in 2016 (single stock CFDs) on its SaxoTraderGO platform. 

Facebook delivered another solid year for investors, ranking number one in the UAE as the most traded stock in 2016. With the year marking a 9.6 per cent return and less drawdown during the turbulence in February, Facebook is one of the most traded stocks due to its unique characteristics and access to the value creation in social media. This is despite the company announcing in November that it expected a slowdown in revenue growth from high levels of around 50 per cent annualised growth. 

The impact of 2016’s record fluctuation in oil prices, which reached its lowest point at USD 27 per barrel (on 20 January), wreaked havoc on the industry and global economies, weakening stock trader demand. Even the first production cut in years by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) last December, which helped trigger significant market moves and improved supply-demand balance, did not elevate the two leading oil and gas sector companies, National Oilwell Varco and Schlumberger Limited, among UAE traders. The stocks, respectively, ranked 4th and 5th.

“In a climate of weakened demand for oil and gas industry stocks brought about by geopolitical and economic events in 2016, I am not surprised that tech companies such as Facebook and Apple have seen high demand among UAE traders. Sinking oil prices have sent traders looking at more profitable options in other sectors,” commented Peter Garnry, Head of Quantitative Strategies, Saxo Bank.  

In order of ranking, 2016’s top 5 most traded stocks on SaxoTraderGO in the UAE were Facebook Inc., Apple, Radius Health, National Oilwell Varco and Schlumberger Limited. The most traded stocks on the SaxoTraderGO platform, globally, were Facebook Inc., Amazon, Apple, Deutsche Bank and Novo Nordisk.