RIYADH: Saudi stock exchange’s main index opened higher for its second trading day, as investors witnessed a positive earnings season and watched the energy market edge lower early Monday morning.
TASI opened 0.51 percent higher to reach 13,890, while the parallel market, Nomu, opened nearly unchanged at 23,536 at 10:09 a.m. Saudi time.
Crude oil prices decreased in the early morning hours of Monday, with Brent crude reaching $111.30 per barrel and WTI crude reaching $108.58 per barrel, at 10:21 a.m. Saudi time.
Atheeb Telecom recorded an increase of 4.59 percent as the top gainer, while Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. dropped 3.20 percent as the top faller.
In the financial sector, Bank Aljazira was down by 0.95 percent, while Saudi National Bank and Alinma Bank advanced by 0.12 percent and 0.24 percent, respectively.
Al Rajhi Bank climbed 2.31 percent after shareholders approved the recommendation to increase capital to SR40 billion ($10.6 billion).
Halwani Bros. Co. slipped 0.61 percent, after recording a 22 percent drop in profit to SR19.7 million in the first quarter.
Al-Rajhi Co. for Cooperative Insurance was down 0.12 percent, after reporting a 40.5 percent drop in net profit to SR40 million in the first quarter.
Among the biggest players in the Kingdom’s oil market, Saudi Aramco opened today's trading 0.22 percent higher.
