Saudi Arabia's equity market finished modestly higher on Monday, with sector strength concentrated in Energy & Utilities, Petrochemicals and Industrial Investment pushing the benchmark up at the close.
At the end of trading, the Tadawul All Share index gained 0.13%.
Leading the winners were Thimar Development Holding Co (TADAWUL:4160), which advanced 5.60% or 1.88 points to finish at 35.48. Al-Rajhi Cooperative Insurance (TADAWUL:8230) climbed 5.52% or 4.25 points to close at 81.25, and The National Shipping Co. (TADAWUL:4030) rose 5.21% or 1.52 points to 30.72 in late trade.
On the downside, SHL Financing Company SJSC (TADAWUL:1183) fell 6.41% or 1.00 points to end at 14.60. flynas Company SJSC (TADAWUL:4264) declined 6.34% or 3.45 points to close at 51.00, and Arabian Centres Co (TADAWUL:4321) lost 6.08% or 1.06 points to trade at 16.36.
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange by 230 to 105, while 9 issues finished unchanged.
The session also saw multiple stocks record fresh all-time lows. Shares in SHL Financing Company SJSC (TADAWUL:1183) dropped to an all-time low of 14.60 after the 6.41% fall. flynas Company SJSC (TADAWUL:4264) likewise hit an all-time low at 51.00 following its 6.34% decline. Arabian Centres Co (TADAWUL:4321) recorded a new all-time low of 16.36 after falling 6.08%.
Commodities moved notably higher during the trading day. Crude oil for April delivery increased 8.67% or 5.81 to $72.83 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery climbed 9.06% or 6.60 to $79.47 a barrel. Gold also posted a sharp advance, with the April Gold Futures contract rising 3.13% or 164.01 to trade at $5,411.91 a troy ounce.
In currency trading, EUR/SAR eased 0.71% to 4.40, while USD/SAR was essentially unchanged, moving 0.07% to 3.75.
The US Dollar Index Futures finished the session up 0.80% at 98.35.
Market takeaway
The session was characterized by modest broad-market gains led by a small group of sectors, accompanied by sharp commodity moves. While select equities produced strong one-day advances, the number of declining issues and several stocks setting all-time lows underscore ongoing divergence across the exchange.