RIYADH: Initial public offerings in the Middle East are poised for continued positive aftermarket performance this year, following significant post-IPO gains in the first quarter, a new report stated. 

PwC’s latest IPO+ Watch report highlighted the Saudi Stock Exchange’s emergence as a dominant force in Gulf Cooperation Council equity market launches activity, hosting the majority during the quarter, underscoring the region’s attractiveness to investors seeking dynamic opportunities. 

“Tadawul is reported to remain the most active exchange in the GCC with all but one IPOs taking place on either Tadawul main market or the Nomu parallel market,” the report stated. 

On the primary market, three IPOs garnered a combined total of $667 million, while on the secondary market, six offerings raised $57 million in total. 

Notable among the recent successes are MBC Group Co. and Avalon Pharma, both witnessing substantial market gains. 

However, the report noted that the market’s attention has been captured by the demand for Dubai Parking, which set a new record for subscription levels at the Dubai Financial Market, being oversubscribed by 165 times. 

The offerings landscape in the Middle East during the first three months of this year was characterized by activity across various sectors, showcasing a diverse range of investment opportunities.  

From consumer markets with companies like Parkin Co. and Modern Mills for Food Products Co., to health industries represented by Avalon Pharma, and technology, media, and telecommunications with MBC Group Co., the IPO wave has touched multiple sectors. 

Additionally, smaller-scale market debuts were observed in the financial services, industrials, manufacturing, and automobile sectors. 

Muhammad Hassan, capital markets leader at PwC Middle East, expressed optimism, citing Parkin’s oversubscription and double-digit post-IPO gains as indicators of sustained positive momentum. 

“We expect the privatization agenda across the GCC, combined with the ambition of private family businesses to go public, will continue to drive issuance supporting positive momentum in GCC IPO activity in 2024,” he added. 

Looking ahead, the report anticipated continued strength in the public flotation landscape for the remainder of 2024, buoyed by a robust pipeline.  

Private sector companies seeking liquidity and access to capital are expected to drive much of this activity, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the charge. Nevertheless, there’s growing momentum in markets like Oman and Qatar, signaling a broader regional expansion of IPO activity.

RIYADH: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries stuck to its forecast for relatively strong growth in global oil demand in 2024 on Tuesday and said there was a chance the world economy could do better than expected this year.

In its monthly report, OPEC said world oil demand will rise by 2.25 million barrels per day in 2024 and by 1.85 million bpd in 2025. Both forecasts were unchanged from last month.

Demand for members of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development is projected to expand by nearly 0.3 million bpd, while the non-OECD is forecast to grow by about 2 million bpd.

This is the last report before OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, meet on June 1 to finalize output policy. The oil alliance, in its report, sounded an upbeat tone on the economic outlook.

“Despite certain downside risks, the continued momentum observed since the start of the year could create additional upside potential for global economic growth in 2024 and beyond,” OPEC said.

The world economic growth forecasts for 2024 and 2025 remain unchanged at 2.8 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

The report slightly revised up the US growth forecast for 2024 and 2025 to 2.2 percent and 1.9 percent respectively.

“The economic growth forecast for the eurozone remains at 0.5 percent for 2024 and 1.2 percent for 2025,” it added.

It kept China’s economic growth forecast at 4.8 percent in 2024 and 4.6 percent in 2025. Russia’s economic growth for 2024 is revised up slightly to 2.3 percent, while the forecast for 2025 remains at 1.4 percent.

According to the report, refinery margins in April continued to trend downward as the recovery in refinery processing rates and stronger product output weighed on product markets.