DUBAI: The Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) edged up on the back of modest gains in the banking sector on Sunday while Egypt imitated world markets’ strong finish at the end of last week. Most other Middle Eastern bourses fell.
The Tadawul index added 0.1 percent, remaining near a six-week low, as Samba Financial Group jumped 3.4 percent after its board recommended a cash dividend of SR0.75 ($0.20) for the first half of the year. The proposed cash outlay is two-thirds more than Samba’s interim payout in 2016.
Gulf General Cooperative Insurance jumped 4.6 percent after reporting a slight dip in second-quarter earnings, while Allianz Saudi Fransi Cooperative Insurance rose 0.7 percent after announcing a 24 percent jump in net income.
Emaar, the Economic City dropped 3.1 percent after it reported an 85.4 percent drop in second-quarter net profit, citing lower residential sales and higher financial charges.
Al-Andalus Property fell 1.2 percent. It reported second-quarter net profit of SR27.6 million, up 11 percent from the same period last year.
Qatar’s index dropped 0.6 percent with 15 of the 20 largest companies falling. Telecommunications operator Ooredoo was the biggest loser, falling 3.0 percent.
In the UAE, Dana Gas lost 1.5 percent, helping drag Abu Dhabi’s index 0.2 percent lower.
Dubai’s index fell 0.3 percent, snapping five straight sessions of modest gains. Union Properties, the most heavily traded stock, lost 1.3 percent and Emaar Malls Group fell 0.4 percent ahead of the release of its quarterly earnings.
In Egypt, private equity firm Qalaa Holdings added 2.7 percent; the stock has risen 10.7 percent in the past four days after a Kenyan court ended the company’s troubled Rift Valley Railways’ concession and ordered that assets and employees be handed over to Kenya Railways.
The company said its investment has been amortized so the transfer would not affect its consolidated earnings. Some investors believe terminating the investment could reduce a financial drain on Qalaa and help it focus management attention on more profitable areas.
Most other Egyptian shares were also strong, taking their cue from the positive mood in global equities. The index rose 1.1 percent.
Tadawul outperforms regional markets
Tadawul outperforms regional markets
PIF-backed EV maker Lucid hits 16k 2025 deliveries, sets sights on robotaxi deployment
RIYADH: Electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Group, majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, announced a surge in deliveries in 2025 with volumes reaching 15,841 units, a 55 percent increase year-on-year.
According to a statement, the EV maker also provided an optimistic production outlook for 2026, signaling confidence in its operational turnaround and strategic shift toward autonomy.
In September 2023, the group opened its first-ever international car manufacturing facility in the Kingdom. The hub serves as the company’s second Advanced Manufacturing Plant and its first outside of the US.
According to the earnings report, the company delivered 5,345 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 72 percent from the same period in the previous year, marking its eighth consecutive quarter of record deliveries.
Interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said that 2025 “was all about execution and strategy adjustment to set Lucid up for long-term success. Against a challenging macro backdrop, we nearly doubled production, gained market share, reduced unit costs, and strengthened our financial position.”
This commercial momentum translated directly into financial gains. Lucid’s fourth-quarter revenue soared 123 percent to $522.7 million, while full-year 2025 earnings climbed 68 percent to $1.35 billion. The company ended the quarter with a robust liquidity position of approximately $4.6 billion.
A key driver of the improved performance was the ramp-up of production, including the launch of the Lucid Gravity SUV. Despite facing supply chain and tariff headwinds, Lucid nearly doubled its total production for the year.
The company clarified its final production figures for 2025, reporting a total of 17,840 vehicles. This aligns with its previous guidance of approximately 18,000 units.
Lucid explained that a preliminary estimate of 18,378 units, announced in early January, was revised after 538 vehicles were found not to have completed the final internal validation procedures required to be classified as “produced.”
These vehicles are expected to be finalized in 2026, and the company stressed the revision does not impact previously reported financial results.
The manufacturer expects to produce between 25,000 and 27,000 vehicles in 2026, representing growth of up to 51 percent compared with 2025.
Chief Financial Officer Taoufiq Boussaid said: “Q4 marked a clear step-change in production and unit economics. The progress we made is structural, creating a more repeatable and stable operating cadence heading into 2026.”
Beyond the production numbers, Lucid outlined a pivot toward software and autonomy. Winterhoff highlighted the company’s ambition to become an “early mover in the emerging robotaxi market” by leveraging its industry-leading EV technology and strategic partnerships.
To fund these future growth platforms while maintaining financial discipline, the company is making targeted adjustments to its workforce.
“As we prepare for the next stage of our product and volume expansion, we are making targeted adjustments to our US-based, non-manufacturing workforce to reallocate resources to support the next stage of our growth and margin progression,” Boussaid added.
He reiterated the company’s commitment to “financial rigor, operational efficiency, and thoughtful capital allocation.”
In January 2025, the EV maker became the first global automotive company to join the Kingdom’s “Made in Saudi” program, granting it the right to use the “Saudi Made” label on its products, symbolizing the nation’s focus on quality and innovation.
Lucid’s facility, located in King Abdullah Economic City, can currently assemble 5,000 vehicles annually during its first phase. Once fully operational, the complete manufacturing plant, including the assembly line, is expected to produce up to 155,000 electric cars per year.
This comes as the Kingdom is promoting the adoption of electric vehicles as part of its Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.
A critical target of the initiative is for 30 percent of all vehicles in Riyadh to be electric by 2030, contributing to a broader goal of reducing emissions in the capital by 50 percent.
