RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index ended the week by gaining 6.68 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 12,352.33 on Thursday.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR6.55 billion ($1.74 billion) as 120 stocks advanced, while 103 retreated.   

The parallel market, Nomu, also gained 95.60 points, or 0.36 percent, to close the trading session at 26,457.81. This comes as 29 stocks advanced, while as many as 27 retreated.

On the other hand, the MSCI Tadawul Index slipped by 2.37 points, or 0.15 percent, to close at 1,547.20.

The best-performing stock on the benchmark index was Al-Baha Investment and Development Co., as its share price surged by 7.69 percent.

Other top performers included Raydan Food Co. and the Company for Cooperative Insurance, whose share prices soared by 7.29 percent and 6.63 percent, to stand at SR30.90 and SR160.80 respectively.

Electrical Industries Co. and the Mediterranean and Gulf Insurance and Reinsurance Co. also fared well during the last trading session of the week.

The worst performer was Saudi Chemical Co., whose share price dropped by 5.36 percent to SR7.77.

Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu as well as the National Company for Glass Industries, underperformed as their share prices dropped by 5.22 percent and 4.82 percent to stand at SR63.50 and SR42.45, respectively.

On the announcements, Bank AlJazira announced its interim financial results for the period ending March 31 with net profit amounting to SR300.4 million compared to SR279.3 million in the previous quarter.

In an official statement on Tadawul, the bank attributed the increase in the net income to a decrease in total operating expenses by 6 percent. 

“The decrease in total operating expenses is mainly due a decrease in net impairment charge for financing and other financial assets, other general and administrative expenses, salaries and employee-related expenses and other operating expenses against an increase in depreciation and amortization expenses,” the statement said.

Conversely, there has been a slight decrease of 0.2 percent in total operating income, primarily attributed to a reduction in net financing and investment gains. Additionally, the rise in net income was partially tempered by increased zakat charges over the period.

RIYADH: US electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Group and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology have inked a pact to boost EV technology development within the Kingdom. 

As part of the deal, the California-based firm, in which Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund holds a significant stake, will collaborate with KACST on joint research, utilizing the institute’s services, facilities, and products for dedicated research into advanced battery technologies and materials.  

Additionally, they will conduct studies in aerodynamics, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence technologies, according to a press release. 

Faisal Sultan, vice president and managing director of Middle East, Lucid Group said: “Lucid’s goal is to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy by creating advanced technologies. This Memorandum of Understanding marks a key step towards achieving this vision, acting as a catalyst to advance and elevate the entire EV industry and inspire the adoption of sustainable transportation in support of the Kingdom’s vision for a more sustainable and diversified economy.” 

The partnership between Lucid and KACST will also include research on electric vehicles, assessing their performance to ensure they are suitable for the climatic conditions in the Kingdom, the release added. 

The joint research and development headquarters will be established at the national laboratories in KACST and are scheduled to launch during the third quarter of 2024. 

“Using our state-of-the-art facilities, the research conducted under this project will advance electric vehicle systems and aid the development of technologies to support autonomous driving, in line with national aspirations for research, development and innovation in the energy and industry sector,” said Talal bin Ahmed Al-Sudairi, senior vice president of KACST for research and development sector.   

The deal will see Lucid Group and KACST collaborating to leverage their expertise in scientific and technical research. Their joint efforts will focus on developing research programs geared toward creating technical solutions for the transportation and energy sectors, thereby bolstering the national economy. 

In September 2023, Lucid opened its first plant outside the US in Saudi Arabia with an initial capacity to produce 5,000 EVs a year. 

This came as the Kingdom’s government pledged to buy up to 100,000 vehicles from the company over 10 years.