Is there a low-risk anomaly in the UAE stock market?

We investigate the low-risk anomaly in the United Arab Emirates stock market. Using a sample of stocks listed on the DFM and ADX, we examine the performance of portfolios from one-way sorts on several prominent measures of risk: total volatility, beta, idiosyncratic risk, and value at risk. We find no significant relationship between these measures of risk and future returns – either positive or negative. In consequence, our results do not support the hypothesis that the low-risk anomaly is present in the UAE stock market. Low-risk stocks do not significantly outperform high-risk securities.