Saudi Arabia's equity market ended the session lower, with the Tadawul All Share closing down 0.45% as sector-specific declines outweighed gains elsewhere. Pressure came primarily from the Media & Publishing, Hotels & Tourism and Real Estate Development sectors, which collectively pulled the index into negative territory.
The day's top performers were concentrated in a handful of names. Methanol Chemicals Company (TADAWUL:2001) led the winners, jumping 9.89% to finish at 8.00. Medical services provider Mouwasat Medical Services Company (TADAWUL:4002) added 8.09% to close at 69.50, while Emaar The Economic City (TADAWUL:4220) rose 5.88% to end the session at 9.72.
At the other end of the tape, Almoosa Health Co (TADAWUL:4018) was the heaviest loser, sliding 5.95% to 129.60 and recording an all-time low on the move. Arabian Mills for Food Products (TADAWUL:2285) dropped 5.00% to 38.78 and Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co SJSC (TADAWUL:8170) fell 4.48% to 7.04.
Broader market breadth favored decliners: 210 stocks fell compared with 127 advancers, and 10 issues finished unchanged on the Saudi exchange.
Commodity markets showed marked strength during the session. Crude oil for April delivery advanced 6.88%, climbing $6.00 to $93.25 a barrel, while Brent for May delivery rose 7.01%, or $6.45, to $98.43 a barrel. Precious metals were largely flat by comparison, with the April Gold Futures contract up 0.03% or $1.80 to trade at $5,180.90 a troy ounce.
Foreign-exchange moves were modest. The euro fell against the riyal, with EUR/SAR down 0.26% to 4.33, while the dollar-ryial pair was effectively unchanged, moving 0.01% to 3.75. The US Dollar Index Futures registered a 0.26% gain at 99.48.
The session highlighted a market environment in which a small number of stocks can register outsized moves in either direction while broader sector weakness dictates the index outcome. Gains in select industrial and healthcare names were insufficient to offset declines concentrated in media, tourism and real estate names.
Market context - takeaways
- The Tadawul All Share closed lower by 0.45% as sector losses outweighed individual winners.
- Methanol Chemicals, Mouwasat Medical Services and Emaar The Economic City were the session's strongest performers.
- Almoosa Health Co fell to an all-time low and was the largest decliner among notable names.