Foreign Investor Shares in Saudi Stock Market Settle Above 5%

A Saudi trader monitors stocks at the Saudi stock market in Riyadh. Reuters/Faisal Nasser
A Saudi trader monitors stocks at the Saudi stock market in Riyadh. Reuters/Faisal Nasser
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Foreign Investor Shares in Saudi Stock Market Settle Above 5%

A Saudi trader monitors stocks at the Saudi stock market in Riyadh. Reuters/Faisal Nasser
A Saudi trader monitors stocks at the Saudi stock market in Riyadh. Reuters/Faisal Nasser

The shares of foreign investors in the Saudi stock market reached 5.06 percent end of August, exceeding five percent for the second month in a row.

The market value of the shares has inched close to SAR100 billion (USD26.6 billion), reaching at the end of August tradings to SAR95.9 billion (USD25.5 billion).

The data comes as a report by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment revealed a growth in the profitability of the Saudi private sector in 2017. Sectors that enjoyed the most growth were administrative consultations, manufacturing of equipment, mining, recycling, natural gas, financial consultation activities, training, education, maintenance, agricultural activities, administrative facilities and warehouses of medical and pharmaceutical products.

Qawaem 2017 report revealed that the growth included revenues of the refined oil products industry, chemical products industry, education, agriculture, fishing, medicines, pharmaceuticals, health, food products, media, and publishing.

All institutions of the private sector are compelled to provide Qawaem with financial lists of 2017, within a determined period after the end of the fiscal year. The program aims to improve and increase work efficiency and take advantage of the financial statements to provide information and services unique to the beneficiaries, stakeholders, and shareholders.

According to the General Authority for Statistics, the domestic product of the non-oil sector in Saudi Arabia achieved positive growth of 1.6 percent during the first quarter of the current year, while that of the non-oil sector reached around 2.7 percent during the same period.

The economy expanded at an annual rate of 1.2 percent in the first quarter, according to the authority. 



IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
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IMF Approves Third Review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 Bln Bailout

Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage
Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF along with Katsiaryna Svirydzenka, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF and Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, Deputy Mission Chief for Sri Lanka at the IMF, attend a press conference organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thilina Kaluthotage

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third review of Sri Lanka's $2.9 billion bailout on Saturday but warned that the economy remains vulnerable.
In a statement, the global lender said it would release about $333 million, bringing total funding to around $1.3 billion, to the crisis-hit South Asian nation. It said signs of an economic recovery were emerging, Reuters reported.
In a note of caution, it said "the critical next steps are to complete the commercial debt restructuring, finalize bilateral agreements with official creditors along the lines of the accord with the Official Creditor Committee and implement the terms of the other agreements. This will help restore Sri Lanka's debt sustainability."
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022 with a severe dollar shortage sending inflation soaring to 70%, its currency to record lows and its economy contracting by 7.3% during the worst of the fallout and by 2.3% last year.
"Maintaining macroeconomic stability and restoring debt sustainability are key to securing Sri Lanka's prosperity and require persevering with responsible fiscal policy," the IMF said.
The IMF bailout secured in March last year helped stabilize economic conditions. The rupee has risen 11.3% in recent months and inflation disappeared, with prices falling 0.8% last month.
The island nation's economy is expected to grow 4.4% this year, the first increase in three years, according to the World Bank.
However, Sri Lanka still needs to complete a $12.5 billion debt restructuring with bondholders, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake aims to finalize in December.
Sri Lanka will enter into individual agreements with bilateral creditors including Japan, China and India needed to complete a $10 billion debt restructuring, Dissanayake said.
He won the presidency in September, and his leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week.