By Majid Al Shabib
Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) closed the last week in January on a positive note, offsetting the losses seen last week and snapping a losing run seen in the last five weeks.
The main index rose by 181 points or 3.18% today to close at 5,879 points, backed by all sectors.
The market gains were spurred by the U.S. Federal Reserve decision late Wednesday to keep interest rates unchanged.
Today’s liquidity rose by more than 20% to SAR 6.18 billion, which is higher than the weekly average.
The media and publishing sector was the best performer (+9.8%), followed by agriculture and food industries (+6.9%) that was propelled by Almarai and Savola.
The banks and financial services also gained 2.8%, while the petrochemical industries sector rose by 4.17%.
152 stocks moved higher, topped by Jarir, Saudi Printing, Tihama, SRMG and Almarai that all soared by maximum rate. Meanwhile, 15 other stocks moved lower, led by Salama (-2.14%), followed by Metlife AIG (-0.78%) and Buruj (-0.78%).
Translated by Sayed Abdel Rahman
