Saudi Arabia's stock market finished modestly higher on Tuesday, driven by strength in a handful of sectors as the Tadawul All Share index rose 0.03% at the close.
Sector-level contributors to the session's uptick included Cement, Hotels & Tourism and Petrochemicals, which collectively helped lift share prices across the exchange. The market's top-performing individual stock was Methanol Chemicals Company (TADAWUL:2001), which jumped 9.96% - an increase of 2.74 points - to finish at 30.24.
Other notable advancers included Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC (TADAWUL:8170), which gained 7.45% or 0.57 points to close at 8.22, and AFG International Co (TADAWUL:4240), which rose 7.41% or 1.06 points to end the session at 15.36.
On the other side of the ledger, several names posted declines. Raydan Co (TADAWUL:6012) fell 4.55% or 0.80 points to 16.80, Jarir Marketing Co (TADAWUL:4190) dipped 4.27% or 0.74 points to close at 16.59, and Al Moammar Information Systems Co CJSC (TADAWUL:7200) decreased 3.90% or 11.80 points to 291.00.
Market breadth at the close showed more losers than winners, with 188 stocks declining versus 132 advancing and 20 remaining unchanged on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange.
Commodities trading featured mixed moves during the session. Crude oil for October delivery rose 0.76% or 0.64 to trade at $84.38 a barrel. Brent oil for October delivery increased 0.35% or 0.32 to $91.19 a barrel. In precious metals, the December Gold Futures contract fell 0.56% or 25.00 to trade at $4,448.70 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange activity involving the Saudi riyal was largely flat. EUR/SAR was unchanged at 4.35, reflecting a 0.04% move, while USD/SAR was essentially unchanged at 3.75, a 0.01% change. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.01% at 99.55 at the time reported.
The session highlighted a narrow advance in the main Saudi index, with several individual stocks showing pronounced single-session gains or losses. While a small group of sectors supported the modest overall increase in the Tadawul All Share, the broader market registered more decliners than advancers by the close.