Saudi Stocks Overcome ‘Aramco Test’ Pressure

A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019.  (Reuters)
A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
TT

Saudi Stocks Overcome ‘Aramco Test’ Pressure

A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019.  (Reuters)
A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. (Reuters)

The Saudi stock market index achieve gains of 2.4 percent in the past two days, recovering from Sunday’s drop of 1.99 percent in wake of Saudi Aramco’s announcement that the company will launch its initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

The stock market index had closed at 7,744 points on Thursday, while it closed at 7,782 points on Tuesday, recovering from the Aramco announcement.

The impact of the move still lingers on the monetary liquidity into the trading of the daily shares market.

This is not expected to have a negative effect because the traded liquidity volume has risen during the past two days compared to Thursday and Sunday.

The traded liquidity saw an increase of around SAR600 million (USD600 million) compared to Sunday.

This indicates that trading in the Saudi stock market is returning to normal, while investors anticipate the announcement of the biggest IPO.

Aramco listing in the local stock market is expected to boost the attractiveness and competitiveness of the capital market.

The stock market index closed on Tuesday with gains of around 129 points, a rise of 1.69 percent.

These gains would be added to Monday’s gains of around 0.8 percent while the traded monetary liquidity saw a remarkable rise in the past two days to reach SAR2.6 billion (USD712 million) compared to around SAR2.1 billion (USD560 million) on Sunday.



Gold Drops Nearly 2% on Profit-booking, Trump's Treasury Secretary Pick

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
TT

Gold Drops Nearly 2% on Profit-booking, Trump's Treasury Secretary Pick

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold dropped nearly 2% on Monday, weighed down by profit-taking after a five-session rally, with further pressure from the announcement of fund manager Scott Bessent as the next US Treasury secretary.
Spot gold was down 1.8% at $2,664.53 per ounce, as of 0619 GMT, after declining more than 2% earlier in the session. Bullion had hit its highest since Nov. 6 earlier in the day.
US gold futures shed 1.7% to $2,666.40.
Gold's five-session rally has paused due to some profit-taking and Donald Trump's pick of Bessent as the next US Treasury secretary, hinting at tempered use of tariffs and easing US-China trade uncertainty, said IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong.
President-elect Trump has floated the idea of a 60% tariff on Chinese goods and at least a 10% levy on all other imports.
Gold is considered a safe investment during times of economic and political uncertainty.
Investors are also awaiting minutes of the Federal Reserve's November meeting, GDP data (first revision), and core PCE figures, all due this week.
Traders currently see a 56% chance of another 25-basis-point rate cut in December, compared to 62% last week, according to the CME Fedwatch tool.
Recent less dovish signals from US policymakers suggest any unexpected rise in inflation could strengthen expectations of a rate hold in December, Rong said.
Higher interest rates tend to make gold less appealing, as they yield no interest.
Some Fed policymakers last week expressed concerns that inflation progress may have stalled, advocating for caution, while others emphasized the need for continued rate cuts.
On the geopolitical front, Hezbollah fired heavy rockets at Israel on Sunday, following an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 29 in Beirut. There were reports of damage near Tel Aviv.
Spot silver fell 2.2% to $30.63 per ounce, platinum was down 1.2% to $952.00 and palladium slipped 1% to $998.88.