Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to close at 12,331 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR5.39 billion ($1.43 billion), as 148 of the stocks advanced and 78 retreated. Shutterstock
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Updated 19 January 2025
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to close at 12,331 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Sunday, gaining 75.81 points, or 0.62 percent, to close at 12,331.87. 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR5.39 billion ($1.43 billion), as 148 of the stocks advanced and 78 retreated.    

Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu gained 101.41 points, or 0.32 percent, to close at 31,600.12. This comes as 49 of the listed stocks advanced, while 38 retreated.    

The MSCI Tadawul Index gained 10.75 points, or 0.70 percent, to close at 1,546.53.     

The best-performing stock of the day was Saudi Cable Co., which debuted on the main market on Sunday, with its share price surging 9.85 percent to SR113.80. 

Other top performers included Middle East Specialized Cables Co., with its share price rising 6.43 percent to SR45.50, and Zamil Industrial Investment Co., which saw its share price surge 5.65 percent to SR36.45. 

Saudi Reinsurance Co. recorded the biggest drop, with its share price falling 2.27 percent to SR56.00. 

Almoosa Health Co. saw its stock price decline by 2.60 percent to SR138.20, while Wataniya Insurance Co.'s share price dropped 1.75 percent to SR25.20.  

On the announcements front, Almarai Co. reported its consolidated financial results for the year ended Dec. 31. According to a Tadawul statement, the company posted a net profit of SR2.3 billion in 2024, marking a 12.8 percent increase compared to 2023. This growth was driven by higher revenue, disciplined cost control, and a favorable product mix. 

Despite the positive results, Almarai Co.’s share price ended the session at SR58.50, down 1.72 percent. 

City Cement Co. has signed a natural gas supply agreement with Saudi Aramco under the supervision of the Liquid Fuel Displacement Program. According to a bourse filing, the agreement aligns with efforts by the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources to achieve the program's objectives. 

The filing also noted that the shift from liquid fuel to natural gas is expected to reduce emissions from the company’s production processes and enhance operational reliability. The financial impact of the agreement will be disclosed at a later date. 

City Cement Co.’s share price closed the session at SR18.80, up 1.17 percent. 

Saudi Arabian Mining Co., or Ma’aden, has provided an update on the development of its third phosphate fertilizer manufacturing project. According to a Tadawul statement, none of the associated contracts involve related parties, and the financial impact of these contracts remains unclear and will be disclosed once available. 

Ma’aden’s share price closed the session at SR48.60, up 1.66 percent. 


Lebanese social entrepreneur Omar Itani recognized by Schwab Foundation

Updated 23 January 2026
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Lebanese social entrepreneur Omar Itani recognized by Schwab Foundation

  • FabricAID co-founder among 21 global recipients recognized for social innovation

DAVOS: Lebanon’s Omar Itani is one of 21 recipients of the Social Entrepreneurs and Innovators of the Year Award by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

Itani is the co-founder of social enterprise FabricAID, which aims to “eradicate symptoms of poverty” by collecting and sanitizing secondhand clothing before placing items in stores in “extremely marginalized areas,” he told Arab News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

With prices ranging from $0.25 to $4, the goal is for people to have a “dignified shopping experience” at affordable prices, he added.

FabricAID operates a network of clothing collection bins across key locations in Lebanon and Jordan, allowing people to donate pre-loved items. The garments are cleaned and sorted before being sold through the organization’s stores, while items that cannot be resold due to damage or heavy wear are repurposed for other uses, including corporate merchandise.

Since its launch, FabricAID has sold more than 1 million items, reached 200,000 beneficiaries and is preparing to expand into the Egyptian market.

Amid uncertainty in the Middle East, Itani advised young entrepreneurs to reframe challenges as opportunities.

“In Lebanon and the Arab world, we complain a lot,” he said. Understandably so, as “there are a lot of issues” in the region, resulting in people feeling frustrated and wanting to move away. But, he added, “a good portion of the challenges” facing the Middle East are “great economic and commercial opportunities.”

Over the past year, social innovators raised a combined $970 million in funding and secured a further $89 million in non-cash contributions, according to the Schwab Foundation’s recent report, “Built to Last: Social Innovation in Transition.”

This is particularly significant in an environment of geopolitical uncertainty and at a time when 82 percent report being affected by shrinking resources, triggering delays in program rollout (70 percent) and disruptions to scaling plans (72 percent).

Francois Bonnici, director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Executive Committee, said: “The next decade must move the models of social innovation decisively from the margins to the mainstream, transforming not only markets but mindsets.”

Award recipients take part in a structured three-year engagement with the Schwab Foundation, after which they join its global network as lifelong members. The program connects social entrepreneurs with international peers, collaborative initiatives, and capacity-building support aimed at strengthening and scaling their work.