Stock Markets March 19, 2026

Saudi Stocks Close Higher as Media, Energy and Real Estate Leads Gains

Tadawul All Share rises 0.55% with mixed individual movers; oil and Brent post gains while gold declines

By Leila Farooq
Saudi Stocks Close Higher as Media, Energy and Real Estate Leads Gains

Saudi Arabia's equity market ended Thursday's session higher, led by advances in Media & Publishing, Energy & Utilities and Real Estate Development sectors. The Tadawul All Share rose 0.55% at the close. Notable winners included Dar Al Majed Real Estate Co Ltd, Emaar The Economic City and National Gas & Industrialization Co, while Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC, Marketing Home Group for Trading Co and Yanbu National Petrochemical Co were among the session's largest decliners. Commodity and currency moves accompanied the session, with crude and Brent oil higher, gold futures lower and modest FX shifts in EUR/SAR and USD/SAR.

Key Points

  • Tadawul All Share closed up 0.55%, driven by gains in Media & Publishing, Energy & Utilities and Real Estate Development.
  • Top gainers included Dar Al Majed Real Estate Co Ltd (TADAWUL:4326), Emaar The Economic City (TADAWUL:4220) and National Gas & Industrialization Co (TADAWUL:2080); largest decliners included Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC (TADAWUL:8170), Marketing Home Group for Trading Co (TADAWUL:4194) and Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (TADAWUL:2290).
  • Commodities and FX showed mixed moves: crude and Brent rose, April gold futures fell sharply, EUR/SAR rose modestly and USD/SAR was essentially unchanged.

Saudi Arabian equities finished higher on Thursday, with the Tadawul All Share index closing up 0.55%. Sector strength was led by Media & Publishing, Energy & Utilities and Real Estate Development, which collectively supported the market advance.

Top performers

  • Dar Al Majed Real Estate Co Ltd (TADAWUL:4326) was the session's top gainer, rising 8.62% or 0.73 points to close at 9.20.
  • Emaar The Economic City (TADAWUL:4220) added 8.28% or 0.77 points to finish at 10.07.
  • National Gas & Industrialization Co (TADAWUL:2080) advanced 6.56% or 4.80 points to close at 78.00.

Largest decliners

  • Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC (TADAWUL:8170) fell 9.93% or 0.71 points to trade at 6.44 at the close.
  • Marketing Home Group for Trading Co (TADAWUL:4194) declined 4.46% or 2.16 points to end the day at 46.22.
  • Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (TADAWUL:2290) slipped 3.83% or 1.28 points to 32.12.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange by 0 to 0.

Shares in Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC (TADAWUL:8170) fell to 5-year lows; down 9.93% or 0.71 to 6.44.

Commodities and currencies

Crude oil for May delivery was up 0.48% or 0.46 to $95.92 a barrel. Brent oil for delivery in May rose 5.50% or 5.91 to $113.29 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract fell 6.74% or 329.79 to trade at $4,566.41 a troy ounce.

In currency trading, EUR/SAR was up 0.29% to 4.31, while USD/SAR was unchanged 0.01% to 3.75. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.05% at 99.82.


Market context and takeaways

The session showed concentrated strength among a few large winners in real estate and energy-related names, while select financial and industrial names experienced meaningful declines. Commodity movements were mixed, with crude and Brent firmer on the day and gold futures retreating sharply. Currency lines saw small adjustments versus the Saudi riyal, and the US Dollar Index Futures softened marginally.

Overall, the market finished with a modest gain in the benchmark index, even as individual stock performance varied significantly across sectors.

Risks

  • Significant single-stock declines - exemplified by Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC's 9.93% drop to 5-year lows - highlight company-specific downside risk in the insurance and financial sector.
  • Volatility in commodity prices, notably the sharp move in Brent and the steep decline in gold futures, introduces market uncertainty for energy and materials-linked sectors.
  • Divergent individual stock performance despite the overall index gain suggests sector and stock selection risk remains elevated for investors focused on Saudi equities.

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