Companies Listed on 'Tadawul' Make Profits Worth 17B in 9 Months

Reuters
Reuters
TT

Companies Listed on 'Tadawul' Make Profits Worth 17B in 9 Months

Reuters
Reuters

Recent figures issued by the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) reveal that the percentage of ownership of foreign investors increases from week to another in Saudi Arabia.

This indicates that the Kingdom’s stock market has become one of the most attractive for foreign investments.

It also proves the vitality of the financial market on one hand and the confidence of foreign investors in the Saudi economy and listed companies on the other hand.

Meanwhile, foreign ownership in the Saudi stock market has jumped to more than nine percent of the total market.

The stock market index continued Monday the positive gains it had started last week, with about 48 points. On Sunday, it achieved gains of about 77 points.

The Saudi companies listed on the local stock market ended on Monday the announcement period of their financial results for the Q3 2019.

These results are the complementary for the first nine months of this year.

While the net profit achieved during the nine months period amounted to about SAR64.7 billion ($17.2 billion).

According to the announced results, 85 listed companies (more than 50 percent of the listed companies in the local market), have achieved a positive development in their financial results for the first nine months of 2019 compared to the same period last year.

This positive development takes two forms, one is the growth in profits, the largest number of companies, and the other is the marked decline in the amount of losses realized.

Based on these results, which are somehow in line with expectations of financial experts, the Saudi Stock Market Index has become close to 8,000 points, driven by the gains achieved by the market over the past few days.

In this context, the Saudi stock market index ended trading on Monday up 0.6 percent to close at 7922 points, amid transactions worth a total of about SAR2.7 billion ($720 million).



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.