By Mohamed Abu Meleeh
Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) shut Thursday’s session – the last one in 2015 – in the green zone.
The main index rose by 0.08% or 5 points to close the day at 6,911.76 points; yet, it failed the end above the7,000 barrier which it crossed higher in 228 out of 251 sessions this year.
Tadawul fell by 30% or 2,985.7 points from 9,897.5 points - the highest level reached this year – which was reached on 30 April. Meanwhile, it bottomed out at its lowest point this year at 6,672 points on 14 December.
The Saudi market performance was negative on the weekly, monthly and yearly levels. It lost 0.43% or 29.99 points this week, shed 4.5% or 328.2 points this month and 17.1% or 1,421.5 points this year.
Thus, it recorded the biggest decline among the seven GCC markets: DFM (-16.5%), QSE (-15.11%), MSM (-14.77%), BHB (-14.7%), KSE (-14.13%) and ADX (-4.9%).
Among the factors that will define the flow of capital to the regional markets in 2016 are crude prices that continue their fall, in addition to the spending plans of GCC states, said Badr Albalwai, member of Saudi Economic Association.
During Thursday’s session, seven sectors moved higher topped by insurance (+2.54%), then media and publishing (+1.54%) and energy (+0.61%). Meanwhile, eight other sectors moved lower led by telecoms (-0.98%), then cement (-0.92%) and industrial investment (-0.71%).
At the full-year level, four sectors were in green spearheaded by media and publishing (+57.3%), then transportation (+7.45%), energy (+1.35%) and real estate development (+0.79%). Meanwhile, cement was the biggest drag (-33.7%), followed by construction and building (-30.42%), petrochemical industries (-27.02%) and retail (-19%).
Today’s traded volume fell by 20.7%, while traded value decreased by 20.8% and the number of transactions fell by20.6%.
67 stocks were in the positive territory, mainly Bupa Arabia (+6.5%), Taiba (+4.74%), Farm Superstores (+4.27%). 92 other stocks were in red, led by Saudi Fisheries (-4.11%), Metlife AIG (-3.68%) and Sipchem (-2.98%).
Translated by Sayed Abdel Rahman
