Saudi Stock Exchange Gains Jump 17.5% Since Beginning of 2019

Faisal Al Nasser / Reuters
Faisal Al Nasser / Reuters
TT

Saudi Stock Exchange Gains Jump 17.5% Since Beginning of 2019

Faisal Al Nasser / Reuters
Faisal Al Nasser / Reuters

Saudi stock exchange gains jumped 17.5 percent since the beginning of the year, making it one of the world's most profitable stock markets in the first months of 2019.

In this regard, foreign investors continued to purchase in the Saudi stock market, as the latest statistics from the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) revealed that the foreign investors' share rose to 5.48% and that net foreign investors' liquidity reached 7.8% in favor of orders (purchase).

This new rise in foreign investment towards the Saudi stocks market represents an important indication of the high reliability of the country's financial market and reflects confidence in the strength and vitality of the Saudi economy.

In this context, the Saudi exchange index closed this week at a rise of around 109 points, at a level of 9,197 points compared to 9,088 points. It continued to rise for the sixth week in a row. Trading value witnessed a remarkable growth of SAR16.73 billion (USD4.46 billion) compared to around SAR15.53 billion (USD4.14 billion) in the past week.

The report by Tadawul, issued on Sunday, showed the rise of Gulf investors possession in the Saudi shares market to 2.04 percent.

In 2018, the Saudi listed companies recorded positive growth in profits up to SAR105.3 billion (USD28.08 billion).

Inclusion of Saudi Arabia into the S&P Dow Jones Emerging Market and FTSE Russell indices was an acknowledgment of the investors' continuous confidence in the market, which reflects the success of reforms and enhancements accomplished in tandem with Saudi Vision 2030 and the Financial Sector Development Program.



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)
TT

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.