Saudi Forum to Attract Kuwaiti Investments

Invest in Saudi Arabia forum to be launched on Monday in Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Invest in Saudi Arabia forum to be launched on Monday in Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Forum to Attract Kuwaiti Investments

Invest in Saudi Arabia forum to be launched on Monday in Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Invest in Saudi Arabia forum to be launched on Monday in Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)

''Invest in Saudi Arabia Forum'' will kick off Monday in Kuwait within the framework of Saudi Investment Minister Khaled al-Falih's visit to the country.

Several ministers and officials, public entities, significant companies, and representatives of the private sector from both countries are expected to attend the forum.

The forum aims to develop economic relations, promote mutual investments, explore the investment environment, and showcase the Kingdom's most prominent investment opportunities.

The forum's activities include panels and dialogue sessions to discuss the most promising investment sectors between the two countries, review the most prominent developments in the business environment in the Kingdom and significant projects related to Vision 2030, and bilateral meetings between government agencies and the private sector.

The visit of the Saudi Minister to Kuwait aims to deepen existing investment relations, build new and diversified qualitative partnerships, and strengthen economic, investment, and commercial ties with Kuwait.

The two countries have ambitious visions, Vision 2030 and Kuwait Vision 2035, which seek to play a role in the economic transformation and focus on attracting and diversifying foreign investments.

Vision 2030 provides opportunities for investors and companies to enter the Saudi market.

It contributes to searching for economic and commercial opportunities, attracting investments, and providing proper infrastructure, seeing that the Kingdom has massive investment capabilities harnessed to build a more diversified and sustainable economy.

In Kuwait, the stock market closed its trading on a rise in its general index of 18.18 points, reaching 7358 points, an increase of 0.25 percent, with a trading volume of 215.3 million shares, through the implementation of 9599 cash transactions, at a value of KD47.1 million.



Arab Financial Markets Improve Amid Trump Inauguration

A Saudi dealer monitors the stock market in Riyadh. (Reuters)
A Saudi dealer monitors the stock market in Riyadh. (Reuters)
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Arab Financial Markets Improve Amid Trump Inauguration

A Saudi dealer monitors the stock market in Riyadh. (Reuters)
A Saudi dealer monitors the stock market in Riyadh. (Reuters)

Arab financial markets reacted positively to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump for a new term on Monday, despite concerns from some nations about the tariffs he plans to impose. The tariffs are expected to affect global trade flows and pricing.

Trump’s swearing-in also coincided with the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Sunday, which is set to have a favorable impact on market sentiment.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East has played a role in boosting economic stability across Arab markets. They anticipate significant improvements in market performance throughout the region, particularly in the Gulf, in the near future—raising optimism for robust economic growth.

Mohammed Al-Farraj, Senior Head of Asset Management at Arbah Capital, noted that global economic forecasts point to noticeable improvement following Trump’s inauguration.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Farraj attributed this optimism to several key factors, including heightened political stability, strengthened supply chains, and supportive monetary and fiscal policies introduced by the new US administration.

The gradual reduction of tariffs on US imports is expected to have a major impact on the labor market and inflation, fostering a more stable and growth-friendly economic environment for Arab markets, particularly those in the Gulf, he went on to say. The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) is poised to lead this growth.

Dr. Salem Baajajah, an economic expert and academic at King Abdulaziz University, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Trump’s inauguration is likely to generate substantial gains for US markets due to his pro-growth policies. This, in turn, will positively influence global financial markets, especially in the Gulf.

Reduced geopolitical tensions in the Middle East—along with the Gaza truce and prisoner exchange agreements—have further strengthened economic stability across Arab markets, he added.

Meanwhile, most Arab and Gulf stock markets closed higher on Monday, achieving varying levels of gains.

The Saudi Stock Exchange’s main index (TASI) ended Monday’s session up by 0.40%, closing at 12,379 points—its highest level since May 8. The increase was driven by a 4.4% rise in Aqua Power shares, while Aramco, the heaviest-weighted stock on the index, remained flat at SAR 28.15.

The Qatari index climbed 0.40% to close at 10,508 points, supported by a 2.2% rise in Industries Qatar shares. Kuwait’s index rose by 0.53%, while the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange saw a modest increase of 0.08%.

Dubai’s main index, however, declined by 0.30%, impacted by a 2.9% drop in Salik shares. Similarly, Bahrain’s index fell slightly by 0.08%.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt’s blue-chip index slipped 0.37%, weighed down by a 0.9% decline in shares of Commercial International Bank. Morocco’s Casablanca Stock Exchange index dropped by 0.33%. Conversely, Oman’s Muscat Stock Exchange posted a slight gain of 0.03%.