Investors book profits in petrochemical stocks as Brent crude futures fall on demand worries, but bank and telecoms gains support Saudi Arabia's index.
Brent fell $1 to $114.84 a barrel on Monday ahead of an OPEC meeting this week in which key producer Saudi Arabia is expected to meet opposition from Iran over raising output.
Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the Gulf's largest listed company, slips 0.2 percent.
Dismal United States jobs data has weighed on shares globally.
"The market is taking its cues from what's happening in the US, it also has an impact on the psychology," says John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Banque Saudi Fransi in Riyadh.
"That's why we saw a correction on Saturday and now we are waiting to see what happens in the US (markets later on Monday)."
The Saudi benchmark edges higher 0.1 percent to 6,633 points, rising for a second day since Saturday's four-week low.
Al-Rajhi Bank climbs 0.7 percent and Saudi Telecom Co adds 0.8 percent.
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) shares end on a 31-month high after the lender says it will proceed with the auction of its stake in Malaysian bank RHB lifting the UAE capital's index
ADCB jumps 2.7 percent to its highest close since October 2008 after sources say it will not let planned bids by lenders Maybank and CIMB for RHB derail its auction.
Abu Dhabi's index gains 0.5 percent to 2,678 points, rising in six of the past seven sessions.
Property and telecoms stocks also support.
Etisalat rises 1 percent, Aldar Properties gains 0.7 percent and Sorouh Real Estate climbs 1.5 percent.
Elsewhere, Qatar's index falls to a three-month low, down 0.5 percent to 8,117 points.
Losers outnumber gainers eight to seven.
Industries Qatar falls 2.7 percent and Qatar Telecom (Qtel) ends 2 percent lower.
Kuwait bank stocks rise from the previous day's six-week low, but traders are pessimistic for the sector and political concerns will likely spur the market to trade sideways in the medium term.
National Bank of Kuwait gains 1.7 percent and Gulf Bank is up 1.9 percent.
Banks - seen as a barometer of the wider economy - are expected to post deteriorating second quarter results, says a Kuwait-based trader, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The bank index climbs 0.5 percent, edging away from Sunday's close, which was its lowest since April 19.
"People don't have high hopes for the market in general," the trader says.
The main benchmark gains 0.4 percent to 6,313 points, rising from Sunday's nine-week low.
"The market is still anticipating what's going to happen in terms of the political arena in Kuwait -- that's the main driver," says the trader. "It's going to be these levels, 100 points up or down, until September."
On Friday, around 500 Kuwaitis staged an anti-government protest, demanding the resignation of the prime minister and an end to a political crisis hampering legislation.
Elsewhere, Dubai's index slips 0.2 percent to close at 1,563 points, down in two of the past three sessions as losers outnumber gainers 15 to three.
Bellwether Emaar Properties slides 0.9 percent.
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