Saudi Stock Market Companies Touch $613 Billion in Revenues

Saudi Stock (Tadawul) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Stock (Tadawul) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Stock Market Companies Touch $613 Billion in Revenues

Saudi Stock (Tadawul) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Stock (Tadawul) (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi companies listed on the stock market recorded a 56.3 percent increase in their business, reaching total revenue of $613.3 billion.

Al-Jazira Capital reported that the Saudi companies on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) recorded $613.3 billion in revenues, compared to $392 billion in 2020, while the listed Saudi companies recorded a 57.7 percent increase in total revenues during the fourth quarter of 2021.

Listed Saudi companies recorded $176 billion in revenues during the fourth quarter of last year, compared to $111.4 billion in 2020.

Saudi companies listed on Tadawul increased their revenues by nine percent during the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to their gains in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the National Agricultural Development Co (NADEC), one of the largest dairy and food companies in the Kingdom, received a letter from the PIF-owned Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment (SALIC) to acquire 12.66 million shares, representing 12.46 percent of NADEC’s total outstanding shares.

SALIC looks forward to supplying larger quantities of essential foreign commodities and increasing the operational efficiency of existing investments.

The company also wants to develop relations with leading international companies in grain and food processing and expand its local and global investments following its strategy.

SALIC will include new agricultural technologies to rationalize water use, raise production efficiency, and preserve the environment.

Earlier, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company announcing that it has acquired 35.43 percent of Olam Agri Holdings for $1.24 billion, provided that the transaction is expected to be completed in 2022 after obtaining the required approvals from the relevant international authorities.

SALIC CEO Sulaiman al-Rumaih said that the deal will develop and support SALIC’s mission as PIF’s investment arm in the food and agriculture sector.”

Rumaih added that SALIC has extensive experience in the food and agriculture sector, which contributes to food security in the Kingdom, and the partnership with Olam will enrich its role in delivering food security.

He explained that Olam Agri’s commercial success, expertise, and scale in critical commodity sourcing and processing would add significantly to SALIC’s international portfolio.

The CEO also pointed out that SALIC will continue integrating both existing and future investments.

The main Saudi stock index closed up 162.89 points, at 13,646.12 points, with transactions worth $3.1 billion.

The volume of traded shares reached 240 million shares, divided by more than 470,000 deals, in which the shares of 77 companies recorded an increase in their value, while the shares of 129 companies closed lower.

The Saudi Parallel Shares Index (Nomu) closed up 221.52 points, at 24,268.83 points, with transactions worth $6.9 million, and the volume of traded shares reached more than 200,000 shares divided by 1,532 deals.



Iraq Oil Output Exceeds 5 million bpd

Majnoon oil field near the Iraqi city of Basra (Reuters)
Majnoon oil field near the Iraqi city of Basra (Reuters)
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Iraq Oil Output Exceeds 5 million bpd

Majnoon oil field near the Iraqi city of Basra (Reuters)
Majnoon oil field near the Iraqi city of Basra (Reuters)

Iraq produces more than 5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), Oil Minister Basim Mohammed told state news agency INA on Saturday.

According to Reuters, Iraq is pushing for a higher OPEC production quota as the economic fallout from the Iran war and new investment by oil majors increase pressure on Baghdad to boost output, potentially putting it at odds with the producer group.

The conflict has hit Iraq particularly hard, forcing major export cuts and depriving the state of oil revenue, which accounted for 88% of government income last year.


IMF: Any Slowdown in AI-driven Growth Would be Factor for Central Banks

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during the Annual Meetings Plenary at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 16, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during the Annual Meetings Plenary at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 16, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
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IMF: Any Slowdown in AI-driven Growth Would be Factor for Central Banks

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during the Annual Meetings Plenary at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 16, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during the Annual Meetings Plenary at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 16, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Central bankers around the world would need to consider any slowdown in AI-driven growth as they assess steps in their fight against inflation, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.

Georgieva said concerns about dependence on the AI investment boom and high valuations were impacting markets around the world.

"Things are going up and down, and this is likely to continue," she told an audience at IMF headquarters in Washington, adding that the volatility would complicate the job of central banks at a time when risks to price stability had been growing.

A steep rout in technology stocks on Thursday rippled through markets on fears that ⁠the Democrats' victory ⁠in the US midterm elections would increase regulatory scrutiny of AI and slow the data center build-out, sending investors to the safety of bonds.

The political jitters are hitting an AI trade already on shaky footing due to worry about return on massive spending on AI-related infrastructure, with the meltdown spurring margin calls and spooking retail investors and hedge ⁠funds alike.

Georgieva said the AI investment boom was lifting growth in some countries, helping to offset a negative oil-supply shock triggered by the war in the Middle East, but it was also adding to inflationary pressures and financial stability concerns.

The IMF last month flagged significant growth and financial stability risks from a potential ending of the AI investment boom, among other factors, including a prolonged Middle East war. At the time, it warned that a steep drop in AI investment could lead to a sharp fall in asset prices, ultimately cutting global GDP ⁠by 1.1% ⁠by 2028, including a 1.8% drop in US output.

Georgieva did not repeat the downside forecast on Friday, but acknowledged the recent market volatility.

"Should there be a slowdown in the AI-driven growth impulse, it would need to be factored in as central banks assess the necessary steps in the fight against stubborn inflation," she said.

Democrats are planning to unleash a flood of new legislation targeting artificial intelligence systems and data-center development when they take control of the US Congress in January, Reuters reported on Friday, citing congressional aides and advocates.

That would mark a sharp shift from the Republican-led Congress, where lawmakers largely focused on promoting AI development and declined to pass legislation restricting the technology.


World Food Prices Dip in October, but Remain Higher Than a Year Ago

A worker carries loaves of bread for sale at a bakery in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt November 4, 2026. (Reuters)
A worker carries loaves of bread for sale at a bakery in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt November 4, 2026. (Reuters)
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World Food Prices Dip in October, but Remain Higher Than a Year Ago

A worker carries loaves of bread for sale at a bakery in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt November 4, 2026. (Reuters)
A worker carries loaves of bread for sale at a bakery in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt November 4, 2026. (Reuters)

World food prices edged lower in October as weaker import demand contributed to monthly declines in cereal, dairy and meat prices, but were still nearly 6% higher than a year earlier, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of food commodities, ‌averaged 133.9 points ‌in October, down from a revised ‌135.6 ⁠in September.

The index ⁠was 5.9% higher than a year earlier, but remained 16.4% below its March 2022 peak.

FAO's cereal price index fell 4.5% from September and was 12.6% lower than a year ago, as wheat and maize quotations declined. Wheat prices eased on weak import demand ⁠and improved production prospects, especially in Argentina.

"Expectations of ‌easing constraints on Black ‌Sea export flows added to the downward pressure on prices, ‌although continued disruptions to Black Sea logistics limited the decline," ‌FAO said in a statement.

Maize prices also eased after reaching a three-year high in September, pressured by the US harvest, expectations of ample supplies in South America and renewed ‌prospects of easing tensions in the Black Sea region.

Vegetable oil prices edged up 0.3%, ⁠as ⁠higher soybean and sunflower oil prices more than offset a fall in rapeseed oil prices.

Sugar prices rose 6.6%, their fourth straight monthly increase, to the highest level since December 2024, after rainfall disrupted harvesting in Brazil. They were now 28.8% above a year ago.

The dairy index fell 1.1%, as lower butter and cheese prices linked to ample supplies and subdued demand outweighed gains in milk powder.

The meat index declined 1.2%, while still slightly above its year-earlier level, as ovine and bovine meat prices fell.