KUWAIT CITY, 20 October 2005 — Kuwaiti shares surged in the week through yesterday to a new all-time high, closing just short of the 11,000-point mark, despite a political crisis in the oil-rich emirate, traders said. The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) index finished the week at 10,948.40 points, up 3.3 percent on last week’s close of 10,598.90 points. The index is now 70.8 percent above the 2004 close of 6,409.50. The market rallied close to the 11,000-point mark despite an ongoing crisis within the Al-Sabah ruling family over succession.