Abu Dhabi's main index closed 0.96 percent higher at 3,207 points, with top gainers including real estate stocks and banks.

Aldar Properties and Sorouh Real Estate ended 3.64 percent and 3.24 percent higher, while Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank closed 6.92 percent up.

Emirates Telecommunications closed 1.48 percent higher.

In Dubai, the main index closed 3.67 percent higher at 3,198 points.

Emaar Properties ended 3.6 percent higher, while Arabtec closed up 13 percent.

Dubai Islamic Bank closed up 4.6 percent, while Dubai Investments ended 5.6 percent higher. Telecom operator du ended 9.29 percent up.

Qatar's main index ended up 1.87 percent at 7,573 points, led higher by bank stocks, as Gulf Arab bourses rose in line with global markets.

Qatar National Bank ended 3.65 percent higher, while Qatar Gas and Transport (Nakilat) closed up 2.45 percent. Industries Qatar ends 1.8 percent higher.

Kuwait's main index closed 3.78 percent higher at 11,905 points after the central bank made yet another move to boost liquidity.

Shares in Mobile Telecommunications Co (Zain) ended 9.43 percent higher, while National Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Finance House closed 5.8  percent and 5.1 percent higher respectively.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait and Gulf Bank rose 8.2 percent and 9.4 percent respectively.

The Central Bank of Kuwait on Thursday offered short-term funds to improve confidence in the banking system, bankers said, a day after it cut the key discount rate by 125 basis points to 4.50.

Bahrain's main index ended 0.45 percent higher at 2,330 points.

Abu Dhabi's Aldar Properties rose 8.56 percent despite the emirate's largest developer saying it was not considering a share buyback.

Aldar's shares rose earlier after media reports quoted its CEO as saying the firm was considering a share buyback scheme.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank rose 9.2 percent, bucking the downward trend in the emirate's banking sector. The main index rose 0.76 percent to 3,201 points.

The Muscat benchmark ended 8.32 percent higher at 7,178 points, its biggest one-day gain in nine years, in line with other markets in the Gulf Arab region following coordinated global interest rate cuts in the previous session.

Sentiment in Oman is also lifted by local pension funds buying as they believe the market has bottomed out, a trader says.

Bank Muscat and National Bank of Oman both ended nearly 10 percent higher. Oman Cables Co also closed 10 percent up.

Egypt's benchmark CASE 30 index traded 6.88 percent higher in early trade, with heavyweight stock Orascom Construction Industries gaining 4.41 percent.

The Hermes index added 6.57 percent and the broader CIBC index rose 6.23 percent. The CASE 30 index had fallen for two straight days after a week-long holiday. - Reuters