Saudi Companies to Conclude Announcing Financial Results on Monday

An investor walks past a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia June 29, 2016. (Reuters)
An investor walks past a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia June 29, 2016. (Reuters)
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Saudi Companies to Conclude Announcing Financial Results on Monday

An investor walks past a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia June 29, 2016. (Reuters)
An investor walks past a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia June 29, 2016. (Reuters)

Saudi companies will conclude on Monday the announcement period of their financial results for the Q3 2019.

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

Meanwhile, 132 listed Saudi companies have already announced their financial results.

Seventy-one companies listed in the Saudi stock market have made remarkable positive progress in their financial results during the first nine months of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.

The 132 companies made a net profit of SAR64.2 billion ($17.12 billion) during the first nine months of 2019, an average profit that was no better than that during the same period last year.

The 42 companies that have not yet announced their results are expected to play a major role in terms of the number of companies that may achieve better financial performance during the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year.

However, these results are not expected to have a significant impact on the value of profits realized, considering that most companies with large capital had announced their financial results earlier.

Cement sector companies are among the best performers, as the profits jumped 399 percent, compared to the figures achieved during the same period last year.

All companies have made a net profit during the first nine months of this year while seven had suffered losses during the same period last year.

This demonstrates the vitality of the Saudi economy and the revival of the construction sector.

Insurance companies are expected to disclose their financial results on Sunday and Monday.

Investors and traders in this sector have been awaiting the announcement of 17 companies for their financial results for the third quarter of this year.



Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

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
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Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

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 prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.