Saudi Institutions Increase Purchases in Local Stock Market

A money exchanger counts Saudi riyals in Riyadh. (Reuters)
A money exchanger counts Saudi riyals in Riyadh. (Reuters)
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Saudi Institutions Increase Purchases in Local Stock Market

A money exchanger counts Saudi riyals in Riyadh. (Reuters)
A money exchanger counts Saudi riyals in Riyadh. (Reuters)

Domestic institutions have surged around SAR1.07 billion (USD285.3 million) in the Saudi stocks market during the past week, while foreign investor property in the local market rose 4.73 percent at the end of last week’s trade compared to 4.71 percent the week before.

According to Tadawul, Saudi investor net purchases reached around SAR488.7 million (USD130.3 million) and the foreign investor possession marked a progress.

The Tadawul All Share fell 2.1 percent, closing at 7,497 points amid trading approximately worth SAR3 billion (USD800 million).

Opening the oil markets is expected to have a positive impact with the commencement of next week’s trading.

During the past days, prices witnessed a sharp drop, leaving Brent crude to close at 67 dollars per barrel, while the crude oil dropped below 57 dollars per barrel.

Furthermore, Saudi banks listed in the local financial market posted huge profits of SAR37.7 billion (USD10.05 billion) in the first nine months of 2018.

According to the financial results, 10 Saudi banks listed on the local financial market announced a new growth in profits for the first nine months of this year with one bank’s growth rate reaching up to 27.9 percent. Only two banks announced a decline in profits by 2 and 18 percent.

Saudi Arabia's government revenues hit an increase of 57 percent during the third quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year. Revenues in the first nine months increased by nearly 47 percent to SAR663.1 billion (USD176.8 billion) compared to the same period in 2017.

The Saudi finance ministry has published the quarterly report of the state budget performance of the third quarter of 2018 on its website.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.