CAIRO: Traffic in Egypt’s Suez Canal has so far been unaffected by the spread of the coronavirus, the chief of its authority said on Wednesday, citing a 4.6% increase year-on-year in the number of ships passing through.
The canal is the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia and one of the Egyptian government’s main sources of foreign currency.
The container shipping industry, a bellwether for international trade, has been blown off course by the new virus, which brought parts of China to a standstill before spreading around the world, leading container lines to re-route cargoes and reduce calls to Chinese ports.
However, the number of ships passing through the canal in the first quarter of 2020 increased by 8.4% compared with the same period a year prior, Osama Rabie said.
Suez Canal revenues increased to $458.2 million in February compared with $433.9 million during the same month last year.
Egypt’s Suez Canal shipping traffic unaffected by coronavirus — chief
https://arab.news/25st5
Egypt’s Suez Canal shipping traffic unaffected by coronavirus — chief
- The canal is the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia
- The container shipping industry has been blown off course by the new virus
Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to close at 11,251
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Thursday, gaining 84.27 points, or 0.75 percent, to close at 11,251.81.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR5.38 billion ($1.43 billion), as 188 of the stocks advanced and 67 retreated.
Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu gained 157.22 points, or 0.67 percent, to close at 23,643.74. This comes as 44 of the stocks advanced while 32 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index gained 10.88 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 1,517.43.
The best-performing stock of the day was Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co., whose share price surged 9.96 percent to SR5.30.
Other top performers included Ataa Educational Co., whose share price rose 9.94 percent to SR57.50, as well as Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co., whose share price surged 5.74 percent to SR7.55.
Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Co. recorded the most significant drop, falling 5.93 percent to SR220.50.
Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. also saw its stock prices fall 2.77 percent to SR43.56.
Zahrat Al Waha for Trading Co. also saw its stock prices decline 2.30 percent to SR2.55.
On the announcement front, Multi Business Group Co. reported its annual financial results for the year ended Dec. 31. According to a Tadawul statement, the firm recorded a net profit of SR352,172 during the year, down 98 percent from the previous year.
The company attributed the decline primarily to a 2 percent drop in building contracting revenues and a 73 percent decrease in gross profit.
Multi Business Group Co. ended the session at SR9.90, down 1 percent.
Hamad Mohammed Bin Saedan Real Estate Co. announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Awwal Bank to enhance collaboration in financing solutions, advance real estate development projects, and expand access to customer financing programs.
Hamad Mohammed Bin Saedan Real Estate Co. ended the session at SR6.67, up 1.21 percent.
