Saudi Stocks Stable despite Decline in Oil Prices

Saudi Arabia's stock closed at a limited decline of 1.3 percent ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. (AFP)
Saudi Arabia's stock closed at a limited decline of 1.3 percent ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. (AFP)
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Saudi Stocks Stable despite Decline in Oil Prices

Saudi Arabia's stock closed at a limited decline of 1.3 percent ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. (AFP)
Saudi Arabia's stock closed at a limited decline of 1.3 percent ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday. (AFP)

Last week's oil prices saw a drop of up to 10 percent, as Saudi Arabia's stock closed at a limited decline of 1.3 percent ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Despite sharp declines in oil prices, the Saudi stock remained strong due to several reasons, most notably the remarkable flow of cash of foreign investment in Saudi companies listed in the local market, which pushed foreign investors' ownership rates to achieve new records on a weekly basis.

So far, 162 companies listed in the Saudi stock market have announced their financial results for the first half of 2019. Compared to same period of 2018, 83 companies reported a positive improvement, while 79 announced a drop in profits and 39 reported losses.

Listed companies continue to announce their financial results for Q2 of 2019, and the rest of the companies are expected to announce their financial results after the Eid holiday. The deadline for announcing results ends on August 21.

The Saudi index dropped 1.3 percent during last week's trading to close at 8,550 points.

Market trading is expected to resume its activity on August 18 after the Eid holiday, which starts on Sunday.

As of Thursday's closing time, the Saudi stock revenues since the beginning of the year were around 9.24 percent, which is good compared to the performance of the global financial markets in the past few weeks, which witnessed a wave of declines.

The value of public and private assets of investment funds in Saudi Arabia registered a new leap during Q2 2019, amounting to $86.1 billion, compared to $82.6 billion in Q1 of the same year.

According to Saudi Capital Markets Authority (CMA), the value of public and private fund assets jumped 4.1 percent in the Q2 2019. The value of the private investment funds assets grew by 3.5 percent and the value of public fund assets grew by 5.3 percent.

The value of the assets of private investment funds amounted to $52.5 billion at the end of Q2 2019 compared with $50.6 billion in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the value of assets of public investment funds amounted to $33.6 billion by the end of Q2 2019 compared with $31.9 billion in Q1 2019.

According to the CMA, the investment fund includes a set of securities that are selected according to specific criteria that meet the objectives of the investment funds, including the public and special funds.

Profits of the investment funds come usually from capital gains, which are the profits resulting from the improvement or change in the prices of the securities invested in addition to dividend profits, if any, for securities.



Saudi Economic and Development Affairs Council Discusses Report on Performance of State Budget

File photo: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a meeting of the Economic and Development Affairs Council. Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a meeting of the Economic and Development Affairs Council. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Economic and Development Affairs Council Discusses Report on Performance of State Budget

File photo: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a meeting of the Economic and Development Affairs Council. Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a meeting of the Economic and Development Affairs Council. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s Economic and Development Affairs Council has held a meeting via videoconference, discussing several issues, including the performance of the state budget, the Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday.
At the beginning, the council reviewed the quarterly economic report of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, which includes an analysis of key global economic developments, and the national economic progress. The Kingdom saw positive economic growth of 2.8% in the third quarter, SPA said.
The report addresses future national economic forecasts issued by relevant government entities, international funds, and agencies, as well as proposed insights and recommendations to address global economic challenges.
The council also reviewed the third-quarter report submitted by the Ministry of Finance, on the performance of the state budget for fiscal year 2024. The report includes a detailed overview of financial performance up to the end of the third quarter, covering revenue, expenditure, and public debt indicators.
It highlighted results reaffirming the Kingdom's continued support for development projects, strengthening social care and protection systems, and advancing the implementation of major projects and programs under Saudi Vision 2030.
This underscores the effectiveness of structural economic reforms, efforts in economic diversification, and the systematic approach aligned with the Saudi Vision 2030.
The council also reviewed the report of Ministry of Commerce presentation, regarding the report of Standing Committee for Price Monitoring for the third quarter of 2024.
The report addresses the roles of the entities participating in the committee, key insights during the specified period, global price trends, an overview of consumption patterns, price and inflation indicators in the Kingdom, and details regarding consumer goods prices in the third quarter. Moreover, it outlines the measures taken to ensure the availability of goods and strengthen stockpiles to maintain price stability.
The council made the necessary decisions and recommendations.