By Mohamed Abu Meleeh

Riyadh-Mubasher: Tadawul’s benchmark index TASI rose this week by 0.14% or 13.32 points to end at 9313.52 points, compared with 9300.2 points last week.

Accordingly, the Saudi stock market added 891.8 points, or 10.59% in the last five weeks.

Market capitalization fell 0.1% or SAR 2.05 billion to SAR 2.026 trillion, from SAR 2.028 trillion. It lost 11.777% or SAR 213.4 billion year-to-date.

The benchmark index TASI rose 11.76% or 980.22 points since year-start.

Five sectors moved up, topped by industrial investment (+4.27%), then real estate development (+2.16%) then energy (+1.9%). Banks also strengthened by 1.02%.

Meanwhile, ten sectors moved down, led by telecommunications (-3.16%) that was hurt by Mobily (-4.29%) that was suspended as of Wednesday and STC (-2.76%). Hotel and tourism came second (-2.46%), followed by insurance (-1.3%) and petrochemical industries (-1.16%).

The market’s traded volume declined by 9.41% to 1.6 billion shares from 1.77 billion shares. Turnover also decreased by 18.46% to SAR 38.8 billion from SAR 47.6 billion. The number of transactions retreated by 24.6% to 593 thousand from 787 thousand. The number of advancing stocks went down to 58 from 94, while the number of declining stocks went up to 102 from 69.

Out of the 163 stocks traded this week, 58 headed north topped by Buruj Insurance (+14.57%), while 102 stocks headed south led by United Insurance (-8.22%) followed by Medgulf (-5.62%) and Saudi Exports (-5.14%).

As regards the market’s biggest listed companies in terms of capitalization, giant petrochemical producer SABIC fell 0.91%, NCB (-1.05%), STC (-2.76%), while Al Rajhi Bank gained 1.85%.

Translated by Sayed Abdel Rahman