Saudi Stocks Trading Resumes Amid Global Rise of Oil Prices

Saudi Stocks Trading Resumes Amid Global Rise of Oil Prices
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Saudi Stocks Trading Resumes Amid Global Rise of Oil Prices

Saudi Stocks Trading Resumes Amid Global Rise of Oil Prices

The Saudi stock exchange resumes Sunday, following Eid al-Fitr. This comes amid a significant rise in oil prices, with the closing of last week's trading, which pushed Brent crude to close above $ 63 a barrel.

Trading is expected to commence with a qualitative flow of local and foreign capitals in which investors would target several firms that reported positive fiscal results during Q1 of 2019.

Today’s session is the fourth after the completion of the first phase of the local capital market inclusion in the MSCI. The index achieved gains of 134 points following the inclusion to the Emerging Markets Index, while monetary liquidity witnessed during last week’s trading a rise of 112 percent compared to the week before.

Saudi's index closed May’s trading at 8,516 points, proving the vitality of the local market and the positive performance at the same time.

In the same context, investors are anticipating a more positive performance for the Saudi stock market, as the listed companies are expected to continue their positive financial performance in the second quarter of this year. The listed firms’ results showed financial performance progress of 85 firms, with profits of SAR23.1 billion (USD6.1 billion) during Q1 of the current year.

Earlier, MSCI said 30 Saudi Arabian securities would be added, representing an aggregate weight of 1.42% in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.



Lebanon Bonds Rally to Fresh Two-year High on Ceasefire Hopes

A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon Bonds Rally to Fresh Two-year High on Ceasefire Hopes

A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon's deeply distressed sovereign dollar bonds hit a fresh two-year high on Tuesday as investors bet that a potential ceasefire with Israel could improve the country's prospects.

The bonds, which are still trading below 10 cents on the dollar, have gained more than 3% this week. The 2031 maturity was biding at 9.3 cents on the dollar, its highest since May 2022, according to Reuters.

"Some investors are mulling if it is a right time to buy, since a ceasefire is the first step needed to at some point in time restructure bonds," said Bruno Gennari, emerging markets strategist with KNG Securities International.

Israel's cabinet is expected to convene on Tuesday to discuss, and likely approve, a US plan for a ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a senior Israeli official said.

Israeli airstrikes, which continued on Tuesday, have decimated Lebanon's infrastructure and killed thousands.

But the counterintuitive rally, the second since Israel began bombing the country in September, was driven by bets that the deal could jolt Lebanon's fractured political system and revive efforts to pull the country out of default.