Saudi Arabia's stock market finished the trading session lower on Tuesday as declines in several key sectors pushed the benchmark down. The Tadawul All Share fell 0.71% by the close, marking a fresh one-month low for the index.
Sector performance was uneven, with the Media & Publishing, Hotels & Tourism and Building & Construction groups registering notable weakness and contributing to the market-wide retreat. Within the broader index, a small group of stocks outperformed while a larger number of listings fell in value.
Top performers in the session included National Medical Care Company (TADAWUL:4005), which gained 3.88% - a rise of 4.80 points - to finish at 128.40. SHL Financing Company SJSC (TADAWUL:1183) was up 3.09% or 0.50 points, closing at 16.70. Saudi Steel Pipe Company (TADAWUL:1320) also posted a positive return, advancing 2.72% or 1.02 points to 38.56 at the close.
On the downside, Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insurance (TADAWUL:8311) dropped 9.98%, a fall of 0.80 points, ending the day at 7.22. Saudi Fisheries Co. (TADAWUL:6050) declined sharply by 9.33% or 5.00 points to close at 48.60, while Arabian Contracting Services Company CJSC (TADAWUL:4071) was down 6.88% or 7.90 points to 107.00.
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Saudi stock exchange by a wide margin: 271 stocks fell, 56 advanced, and 14 were unchanged.
Saudi Fisheries Co. (TADAWUL:6050) registered a notable low, with shares falling to a five-year trough as they moved down to 48.60, matching the 9.33% decline noted above.
Commodity markets were mixed during the session. Crude oil for April delivery rose 0.35% or $0.23 to $66.54 a barrel. Brent crude for May delivery increased 0.25% or $0.18 to $71.29 a barrel. In precious metals, the April Gold Futures contract retreated 0.95% or $49.56 to trade at $5,176.04 a troy ounce.
Currency pairs involving the Saudi riyal were largely unchanged in the session: EUR/SAR moved by 0.07% to 4.42, and USD/SAR was steady with a 0.01% change to 3.75. The US Dollar Index Futures ended the session higher by 0.22% at 97.85.
Overall, market breadth favored declines and several individual issues recorded material percentage moves, while commodity and FX benchmarks showed modest shifts by the close.