Saudi Arabia's stock market ended Wednesday's session with a modest decline, as sectoral drops in Media & Publishing, Insurance and Cement weighed on the benchmark. The Tadawul All Share closed down 0.10% - marking a fresh three-month low at the session's end.
Top and bottom movers
Among individual stocks, Saudi Real Estate Co. (TADAWUL:4020) led the gainers, advancing 5.62% - or 0.96 points - to finish at 18.03. Saudi Chemical Company (TADAWUL:2230) added 3.68% (0.30 points) to close at 8.45, and Alwasail Industrial Co (TADAWUL:4148) rose 2.77% (0.08 points) to end the day at 2.97.
On the downside, Arabian Company for Agricultural and Industrial Investment SCJSC (TADAWUL:2287) recorded the largest decline among the most active movers, sliding 6.35% - or 1.84 points - to 27.12 at the close. Saudi Research and Marketing Group (TADAWUL:4210) fell 6.33% (4.35 points) to 64.35 and Al Dawaa Medical Services Co (TADAWUL:4163) lost 4.20% (1.82 points) to finish at 41.56.
Breadth and notable price milestones
Decliners outpaced advancers on the Saudi exchange, with 206 stocks falling versus 118 rising; 18 issues ended unchanged. The retreat included notable price milestones: shares of Saudi Research and Marketing Group moved to five-year lows, falling 6.33% to 64.35, while Al Dawaa Medical Services Co declined to an all-time low, dropping 4.20% to 41.56.
Commodities and currency moves
In commodities markets, crude oil for August delivery rose 0.48% (0.38) to trade at $79.72 a barrel, while Brent crude for September delivery increased 0.39% (0.33) to $85.06 a barrel. The August gold futures contract ticked down 0.01% (0.40) to $4,069.30 a troy ounce. Currency markets were largely stable: EUR/SAR was unchanged, reported at 4.29 (0.02%) and USD/SAR was unchanged at 3.76 (0.02%).
The US Dollar Index Futures showed a small decline, trading down 0.04% at 100.67 by the close.
Context and close
The session presented a mixed picture: a narrow overall decline for the index alongside several clear winners and losers at the stock level. Sector pressures in Media & Publishing, Insurance and Cement coincided with isolated strength among real estate, chemical and industrial names, while commodity prices registered modest gains for oil and a marginal decline in gold futures.