Crypto rise falters on fears of Evergrande contagion

Chinese real estate company Evergrande Real Estate Group logo (Shutterstock)
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Updated 21 September 2021
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Crypto rise falters on fears of Evergrande contagion

Global investors are turning their eyes to Evergrande Group, China's second-largest property developer by sales, for fear of a possible credit contagion.

Cryptocurrency prices rebounded from a one-and-a-half month low on Tuesday despite heavy selling linked to loan default concerns by property developer China Evergrande.

Global markets started the week with concerns that Evergrande's problems could lead to repercussions on the Chinese and global economies, leading to a sell-off in riskier assets.

On Monday, many people woke up to the news of China's Evergrande Group losing a significant amount of its market capitalization as the company's shares plunged to an 11-year low. The Hang Seng Tech Index also plunged in value on Monday morning as the news roiled markets.

Evergrande's losses could cause a domino effect like the collapse of Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis.

"We can't take a very positive view just yet until we get through the next few days," said Matthew Dibb, chief operating officer at crypto index fund provider Singapore-based Stack Funds.

"This is purely sentiment-driven right now, and it's actually been off very low liquidity," he said, adding that it would be better to wait on the sidelines as crypto markets will continue to be affected by the contagion.

Bitcoin traded around $43,000, recovering from its low to $4,0192. It hit a four-month high of $52,000 on September 6, while the value of smaller rival Ether rose 1 percent to $3,055 after falling below $3,000 for the first time since early August.


Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 11,228 

Updated 15 February 2026
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 11,228 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Sunday, lost 23.17 points, or 0.21 percent, to close at 11,228.64. 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR2.99 billion ($797 million), as 170 of the stocks advanced and 82 retreated.    

On the other hand, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu gained 449.38 points, or 1.90 percent, to close at 24,093.12. This comes as 43 of the stocks advanced while 27 retreated.    

The MSCI Tadawul Index lost 6.07 points, or 0.40 percent, to close at 1,511.36.     

The best-performing stock of the day was Obeikan Glass Co., whose share price surged 7.54 percent to SR27.66.  

Other top performers included Alamar Foods Co., whose share price rose 6.80 percent to SR47.10, as well as Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co., whose share price climbed 6.79 percent to SR5.66.   

Saudi Investment Bank recorded the steepest drop, falling 3.21 percent to SR13.56. 

Jahez International Co. for Information System Technology also saw its share price fall 3.15 percent to SR13.55. 

Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. declined 2.78 percent to SR7.34. 

On the announcements front, Tanmiah Food Co. reported its annual financial results for the period ending Dec. 31. According to a Tadawul statement, the company recorded a net loss of SR18.8 million, compared with a net profit of SR95.8 million a year earlier. 

The net loss was mainly due to ongoing market challenges that resulted in continued pricing pressures in fresh poultry, inflationary cost pressures, higher financing expenses, and depreciation and ramp-up costs from new facilities, partially offset by increased production volumes and cost-optimization initiatives.  

Tanmiah Food Co. ended the session at SR58.20, up 3.72 percent. 

United International Holding Co., also known as Tas’heel, announced its annual financial results for the period ending Dec. 31. A bourse filing showed the company recorded a net profit of SR273.64 million in 2025, up 23.05 percent from 2024, primarily driven by a 23.4 percent rise in revenues. The revenue growth helped lift gross profit by 23.7 percent. 

Tas’heel ended the session at SR146.80, down 0.28 percent.