EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF ARAB FINANCIAL MARKETS USING FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY IN LIGHT OF THE UNIFIED ARAB ECONOMIC REPORT (2020-2023)

This study aims to evaluate the financial performance of Arab financial markets over the period 2020–2023, based on data from the Unified Arab Economic Report. The analysis focuses on several key indicators, including Capitalization value, trading volume, the number of listed companies, stock turnover ratio, and the growth rate of foreign investor transactions, in addition to secondary indicators related to transparency, disclosure, and liquidity. Adopting a descriptive–analytical methodology, the findings reveal a gradual improvement in several indicators during the study period, particularly in Gulf markets, driven by strengthened regulatory frameworks and heightened investor confidence. However, the study also identifies pronounced volatility in trading indicators during 2022 and 2023, attributable to global interest rate hikes, elevated inflation rates, geopolitical tensions, and declining oil prices. Despite improvements in some indicators, weaknesses in disclosure and transparency persist in certain markets, undermining the efficiency of investment decision-making. The study recommends enhancing disclosure and transparency frameworks, improving the quality of financial data, fostering regional integration through shared information platforms, and leveraging digital transformation technologies in evaluation and analysis. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of improving the quality of financial reports issued by the Arab Monetary Fund on unified Arab financial markets to include data that enable more accurate assessments of market efficiency, particularly regarding profitability and dividend yields—data currently absent from the report. The availability of such information would provide decision-makers, regulatory bodies, and investors with more precise tools for market assessment Keywords: Arab financial markets; Unified Arab Economic Report; financial performance indicators