Manama failed to benefit significantly from the overall bullish mood in the GCC and closes just 0.17% higher at 1,368.56 points. Ahli United Bank outperformed the market by climbing 1.67% higher at $0.610. As investors expect the launch of the new Bahrain Financial Exchange (BFX), a multi asset class exchange next October, the established BSE faces a growing lack of interest as Bahrain banks were hit relatively hard by the financial crisis and they are slowly recovering.