The Saudi Stock Exchange's main index (TASI) opened trading on Sunday, the first session of the week, with a notable rise of nearly 1%, adding more than 100 points to settle at 11,297 points. This positive performance comes amid active liquidity in the first few minutes of trading, reaching a value of 327 million riyals, resulting from the trading of approximately 16 million shares, reflecting investor optimism and confidence in the market's performance.
Background on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul)
The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) is the largest and most liquid stock market in the Middle East and North Africa region, playing a pivotal role in achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the national economy and reduce dependence on oil. Over the past years, the market has undergone extensive structural reforms, most notably its inclusion in global emerging market indices such as MSCI and FTSE Russell. This has opened the door to significant foreign investment inflows and strengthened its position on the international financial stage. The initial public offering (IPO) of Saudi Aramco in 2019 also marked a historic turning point, becoming the world's largest IPO and highlighting the depth and attractiveness of the Saudi market to international investors.
Session performance details and winning companies
The session witnessed widespread positive momentum, with 250 listed companies seeing their shares rise, while only 9 companies experienced declines out of a total of 268 traded companies. The top gainers included Flynas, Sanad Holding, MedGulf Insurance, Amana Insurance, and Enaya. Conversely, REITs were among the biggest losers, including Taaleem REIT, Derayah REIT, Malakiyah REIT, Al-Khair REIT, and SEDCO Capital REIT.
The importance of positive performance and its expected impact
The strong performance of the Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) has repercussions not only locally but also regionally and internationally. Locally, this surge boosts investor confidence among both individuals and institutions, supports a stable investment climate, and encourages more family-owned and private companies to list on the market. Regionally, as the leading market in the GCC, its positive performance often has a positive impact on other markets in the region. Internationally, global investors monitor TASI's performance as an indicator of the health of the largest economy in the Middle East, and continued momentum could attract further foreign capital, increasing market liquidity and depth.
Parallel market performance (growth)
In a related development, the Nomu Parallel Market Index, dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), saw a slight decrease of 0.1% at the start of trading, reaching 23,844 points. Trading volume on Nomu reached approximately SAR 342,000, with 53,600 shares traded. The Nomu Parallel Market saw five companies' shares rise, while four companies' shares declined, out of a total of 125 listed companies.
