Donald Trump’s political announcements are prompting almost immediate trading among UAE and wider Middle Eastern retail investors, with Capital.com reporting price swings and activity that exceed reactions to Federal Reserve decisions and major U.S. economic data. The trend comes as UAE markets and retail brokerage expand: Dubai Financial Market trading value rose 40% year-on-year to $32.5 billion in the first half of 2026, while Abu Dhabi recorded $46.6 billion. Middle Eastern clients generated 57.2% of Capital.com’s $1.13 trillion in global trading volume in the second quarter, with most regional activity coming from the UAE, while the company also reported record MENA volumes in the first quarter of 2025. Gold accounted for 49.9% of Middle Eastern volume, followed by the U.S. Tech 100 at 23.5% and WTI crude at 7.3%. Capital.com’s Middle East CEO Tarik Chebib said regional clients use substantial leverage and take large commodity positions. Capital Vault, an affiliate, received a UAE regulatory license to offer spot virtual asset services, positioning the group to serve crypto and traditional-asset traders under one regulated structure. Executives attributed the surge to highly reactive retail trading, expanding regulated financial centers and improved capital access, and said they had seen no evidence of suspicious activity. The UAE now rivals Singapore in retail trading, while Gulf investors held about $891 billion in U.S. equities as of June 2025. Market participants expect further volatility around the U.S. midterm elections, and Capital.com said 2026 could become a record year.