Property stocks weighed on UAE bourses on Monday after bellwether Emaar's quarterly results fell short of analyst expectations, while Saudi Arabia was lifted to a three-month high by petrochemicals.

Emaar Properties, the developer behind the world's tallest tower in Dubai, fell 2.9 per cent after it said on Sunday that profit fell 45 per cent due to losses from associate firms.

Dubai's index ended 1.6 per cent lower, extending losses after Thursday's yearly high. Construction firm Arabtec tumbled 4.6 per cent in heavy trading.

Abu Dhabi's index ended down 0.8 per cent at a 12-day low, with six of its top 10 largest stocks falling and property stocks hardest hit.

Aldar Properties fell 3 per cent, accounting for a quarter of shares traded on the index.

"Real estate companies will be interesting to look at and their performance will be more indicative of the sector's situation and give a sense on whether we are really recovering," said Marwan Shurrab, vice-president and chief trader at Gulfmena Alternative Investments.

Bucking the downward trend, Saudi Arabia's index hit a three-month peak, led by petrochemical stocks, with the market tracking rising oil prices in the absence of a local catalyst.

The petrochemical index rose 1.1 per cent, with Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Company up 5.3 per cent, the largest gainer. It gained for a third day since Credit Suisse upgraded it to "outperform" from "neutral."-Reuters