Only Qatar experienced growth in the size of its portfolio of projects, increasing 0.3 per cent. Oman lost 1.2 per cent on the value of projects planned and under way, while the UAE lost 0.9 per cent. Bahrain lost 0.4 per cent, and the value of projects planned and under way in the rest of the Gulf remained unchanged. The index is down 7 per cent on the previous year, with $495bn worth of projects on hold across the region.