Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in green at 12,022

The best-performing stock of the day was Astra Industrial Group. Shutterstock
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Updated 31 October 2024
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in green at 12,022

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index edged up on Thursday, gaining 3.3 points, or 0.03 percent, to close at 12,022.11.

The total trading value of the benchmark index was SR6.54 billion ($1.74 billion), with 103 listed stocks advancing, while 124 retreated.

The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased by 4.06 points, or 0.27 percent, closing at 1,507.31.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu gained 356.19 points, or 1.33 percent, to close at 27,225.18, with 39 stocks advancing and 31 retreating.

The best-performing stock of the day was Astra Industrial Group, whose share price surged by 7.10 percent to SR178. 

Other top performers included Electricity and Water Utilities Co. in Jubail and Yanbu, which saw a rise of 5.95 percent to SR58.8. 

Electrical Industries Co. and Jadwa Saudi REIT Fund also recorded gains of 5.42 percent and 5.38 percent, closing at SR7.97 and SR11.36, respectively.

The worst performer was Arabian Pipes Co., with a share price decline of 5.75 percent to SR131.2. 

Americana and Arab Cooperative Insurance Co. also saw drops, with shares decreasing by 4.6 percent and 3.37 percent to SR2.28 and SR12.62, respectively. 

Methanol Chemicals Co. and Thimar Development Holding Co. also fell by 3.03 percent, closing at SR17.28 and SR41.65, respectively.

On the announcements front, Saudi National Shipping Co. reported preliminary financial results for the nine months ending Sept. 30, showing a net profit of SR1.69 billion, a 39.84 percent increase from the same period last year. 

This was attributed to improved operational performance and higher global shipping rates, especially in the chemicals and oil transportation sectors. 

The company’s stock closed at SR29, down by 1.02 percent.

Americana reported a net profit of SR440.18 million for the same period, marking a 48.22 percent annual decline. 

According to a Tadawul filing, the decline was impacted by lower earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, increased depreciation charges from new store openings, and the introduction of corporate tax in the UAE. 

The company’s stock ended the session at SR2.28, down 4.6 percent.

Modern Mills for Food Products Co. posted a net profit of SR157.89 million, a 4.8 percent increase from the same period last year, despite incurring a one-time finance cost of SR8.4 million due to debt restructuring. 

This growth was driven by top-line expansion, new product launches, and a favorable product mix. Its stock closed the session at SR43.9, unchanged.

Saudi Reinsurance Co. reported a net profit after zakat of SR474.95 million, reflecting a 351.33 percent increase from the same period last year. 

According to a Tadawul filing, this increase was due to several factors, including a 39 percent rise in net profit from insurance results, a 67 percent increase in insurance revenues, and a 947 percent surge in net investment profit, largely from capital gains on its Probitas Holding stake sale. 

The firm’s stock closed at SR37.15, down by 0.67 percent.


Saudi mining sector surges with 220% rise in new licenses in 2025 

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Saudi mining sector surges with 220% rise in new licenses in 2025 

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia recorded a 220 percent year-on-year increase in new mining exploitation licenses in 2025, issuing 61 permits, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. 

This reflects the attractiveness of the Kingdom’s mining investment environment and the ministry’s ongoing efforts to accelerate the exploration and development of mineral resources, which are estimated to be worth more than SR9.4 trillion ($2.5 trillion), the ministry said in a statement. 

Saudi Arabia has designated mining as the third pillar of its industrial economy, a strategy that has seen the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product double, reaching SR136 billion in 2024. 

The industry has attracted over SR170 billion in investments, while exploration spending has surged fivefold since 2020, exceeding SR1.05 billion in 2024 alone. 

Investor interest has skyrocketed, with the number of active exploration companies rising from just six in 2020 to 226 in 2024 — a 38-fold increase — and foreign investors now accounting for 66 percent of total license bidders, reflecting strong international confidence in the Kingdom’s mining potential. 

Jarrah bin Mohammed Al-Jarrah, the ministry’s official spokesperson, explained that the number of mining and small-mine exploitation licenses issued by the ministry in 2025 reached 61 licenses, compared to 19 licenses in the previous year. 

He added: “Total investments in the new licensed projects exceed SR44 billion for the extraction of high-quality mineral ores, including gold and phosphate." 

He noted that the number of valid mining exploitation licenses in the Kingdom reached 275 by the end of 2025, covering an area of 2,160 sq. km. 

He affirmed that the ministry will continue enabling mining investments and facilitating local and international investor participation to maximize sector returns in line with Saudi Vision 2030 targets, positioning mining as a key contributor to economic diversification. 

The ministry’s release emphasized that this reflects the effectiveness of reforms implemented to strengthen the investment environment and regulate the mining sector. 

Last month, Saudi Arabia opened 11 mining sites at the Eastern Province’s Al-Summan Crushers Complex for competitive bidding. The sites, designated for the extraction of aggregates and crusher materials, cover a combined 9 sq. km.