Saudi Market Witnesses 7% Boom in 2019

An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
TT
20

Saudi Market Witnesses 7% Boom in 2019

An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

The Saudi stock exchange total gains in 2019 amounted to 7 percent, especially with the Aramco IPO and traders rushing to buy its shares.

The Saudi stock index closed at levels nearing 8,400 points at the end of 2019 trading, and managed during recent transactions to establish important technical support points, which is required for a positive performance of most of the shares of traded companies.

Aramco stock closed at $9.38, the level which the company's share managed to maintain since the listing was first completed. It also represents a 10 percent increase in the value of the stock since the listing.

The Saudi stock index ended its last session in 2019, with a 0.5 percent increase, to close at 8,389 points, amid trades totaling about $1.06 billion, bringing the gains of the Saudi market since the beginning of 2019 to about 563 points, or 7.19 percent, compared to the end of 2018.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) announced its board’s decision to force listed companies to continue to use the cost model to measure property and investment property in the financial statements prepared for financial periods within fiscal years, which start before 2022.

The Authority added in a statement Tuesday that the listed companies were allowed to use the fair value or revaluation model to measure property and investment properties for the financial periods of FY beginning in 2022 or after it.

The statement explained that any listed company that chooses to use the fair value model or the revaluation model to measure property, and investment property must comply receive the board of directors’ approval for the accounting policy to adopt the fair value model or the revaluation model based on the audit committee’s recommendation.

It also indicated that each property, or investment property shall be valued by at least two valuers when preparing the annual financial statements and when using the fair value model or the revaluation model for the first time.

CMA asserted that valuers must be appointed by a resolution from the board of directors based on the audit committee’s recommendation, adding that the appointed valuer must hold a fellowship designation with the Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers.

“The audit committee shall monitor and oversee the valuation process and its results, and shall report to the board of directors any findings or issues,” read the statement.

In addition, the Authority stressed that any material gains or losses arising from a change in the fair value of investment properties shall be disclosed within the announcement of the interim and the annual financial results.

CMA noted that its decision is based on its role in regulating and monitoring the works and activities of parties subject to its monitoring, supervision, and role in regulating and monitoring the full disclosures of information regarding financial securities and their issuers.



Riyadh Hosts Saudi-Egyptian Industrial Forum

Officials are seen at the forum on Monday. (SPA)
Officials are seen at the forum on Monday. (SPA)
TT
20

Riyadh Hosts Saudi-Egyptian Industrial Forum

Officials are seen at the forum on Monday. (SPA)
Officials are seen at the forum on Monday. (SPA)

The Saudi-Egyptian Industrial Forum kicked off in Riyadh on Monday under the patronage of Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef. The forum aims to bolster strategic industrial cooperation and integration between the two countries.

Organized by the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce in collaboration with the Federation of Egyptian Industries, the forum witnessed the participation of Deputy Minister for Industrial Affairs Eng. Khalil bin Salamah, Saudi Export Development Authority CEO Abdulrahman Althukair, and 300 prominent Saudi and Egyptian industry leaders and investors.

Bin Salamah underscored the significance of strengthening economic cooperation and industrial integration between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He advocated for enhanced industrial partnerships within five priority sectors identified in the Kingdom's National Industrial Strategy: pharmaceuticals, automotive, building materials, textiles, and food industries.

He highlighted the evolving strategic integration between the two countries across initiatives like "Saudi Made,Future Factories," and "Made in Egypt," as well as in the broader goods and services sector. Bin Salamah urged Egyptian industrialists to capitalize on the industrial investment opportunities available in the Kingdom, citing its ambitious plans to establish 24,000 new factories over the next decade.

Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce Chairman Hassan Alhwaizy hailed the forum as a crucial milestone in Saudi-Egyptian industrial collaboration, emphasizing the strategic partnership underpinning their economic relations, particularly in the industrial sector.

Federation of Egyptian Industries Chairman Mohamed El-Sewedy stated that current global challenges are accelerating the need for industrial integration between the two countries, strengthening their partnership to tap into the African market's potential.

Saudi-Egyptian Business Council Chairman Bandar Al-Ameri highlighted the substantial growth in trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Egypt in recent years, fueled by developing economic partnerships between their respective business communities. He emphasized that signing the agreement to protect and encourage mutual investments represents a strategic achievement serving their shared interests.