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)
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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.



Most Gulf Markets Gain on Iran Deal

 Traders wait at the Bahrain Bourse in Manama_ Bahrain_ November 8_ 2020. REUTERS
Traders wait at the Bahrain Bourse in Manama_ Bahrain_ November 8_ 2020. REUTERS
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Most Gulf Markets Gain on Iran Deal

 Traders wait at the Bahrain Bourse in Manama_ Bahrain_ November 8_ 2020. REUTERS
Traders wait at the Bahrain Bourse in Manama_ Bahrain_ November 8_ 2020. REUTERS

Most ‌Gulf equities rose in early trade on Monday after the US and Iran announced a preliminary deal to end the war and restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan's prime minister said the two countries ‌are expected to ‌sign a memorandum ‌of ⁠understanding in Switzerland ⁠on Friday, following mediation by Islamabad.

Trump said on Sunday the waterway would reopen "toll free" and that the US blockade of Iranian ⁠ports would be lifted, while ‌Iran's ‌Mehr news agency reported the ‌draft deal envisages reopening it ‌within 30 days under Iranian arrangements.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index gained 0.5%, with the country's biggest ‌lender by assets, Saudi National Bank.

However, oil giant ⁠Saudi ⁠Aramco slipped 1.1%.

Brent crude futures fell $3.65, or 4.2%, to $83.68 a barrel by 0630 GMT.

Qatar's benchmark index advanced 1%, with Qatar National Bank, the region's largest lender, jumped 1.9%.

UAE bourses were closed for a public holiday.


Musk Says SpaceX Could Bring $1 Trillion in Revenue by 2030

Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Musk Says SpaceX Could Bring $1 Trillion in Revenue by 2030

Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Founder, CEO, Chairman, and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks via videolink on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Elon ‌Musk said on Sunday that his rocket company, SpaceX, could bring in $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, making the statement two days after the company went public, valuing it at over $2 trillion.

"And I would be surprised if revenue ‌is not greater ‌than $1T in 2031," he ‌wrote ⁠on his social ⁠media platform X, replying to journalist and financial commentator Jon Erlichman.

SpaceX on Friday became the sixth-largest US firm, cementing Musk's status as the ⁠world's first trillionaire.

However, the ‌company ‌still makes far less money than similarly ‌valued tech giants like ‌Broadcom and Amazon.com.

In 2025, SpaceX's revenue jumped to $18.67 billion from $14.02 billion a year earlier, but the ‌company swung to a net loss of $4.94 billion from ⁠a ⁠profit of $791 million.

Some Wall Street analysts are cautious about the company's growth.

Goldman had estimated that SpaceX's revenue would exceed $470 billion in 2030, while Morgan Stanley projected it would reach nearly $330 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal report from earlier this month.


Fitch Affirms China's Credit Rating at 'A'

 A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
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Fitch Affirms China's Credit Rating at 'A'

 A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)
A woman walks past murals at a shopping center in Beijing on June 13, 2026. (AFP)

Global ratings agency Fitch on Monday affirmed China's long-term sovereign rating at "A" with a stable outlook, citing its large and diversified ‌economy, which supports ‌prospects for solid ‌GDP ⁠growth and the ⁠country's important role in global trade.

China, which faced high US tariff uncertainty last year, should see some relaxation after US President ⁠Donald Trump's visit, Fitch said, ‌even ‌as it warned of weak ‌household confidence weighing on goods ‌consumption.

Data from last month showed China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index dropping to 50 from ‌50.3 in April, its lowest reading in three months ⁠as ⁠demand weakened. A level below 50 typically signals contraction.

"The energy price shock may pose a challenge, but large crude oil inventories, substantial refining capacity and diversified energy sources should cushion risks," the ratings agency said.