Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 11,559 

Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co. was the day’s best performer, climbing 3.03 percent to SR59.60. Getty
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Updated 08 October 2025
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 11,559 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index ended lower on Wednesday, falling 23.96 points, or 0.21 percent, to close at 11,559.27.  

The total trading turnover for the main index stood at SR7.62 billion ($2.03 billion), with 619.4 million shares traded. A total of 60 stocks advanced, while 191 declined.  

The MT30 Index, which tracks the top 30 companies by market capitalization, also slipped 1.75 points, or 0.12 percent, to 1,507.62.   

In contrast, the Nomu parallel market gained 172.63 points, or 0.68 percent, to close at 25,693.25, with 47 gainers and 41 losers.  

Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co. was the day’s best performer, climbing 3.03 percent to SR59.60. It was followed by Naqi Water Co., which rose 2.71 percent to SR56.95, and Al Babtain Power and Telecommunication Co., which increased 2.50 percent to SR61.50.  

Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries Co. gained 2.13 percent to SR134, while Naseej International Trading Co. advanced 2.03 percent to SR90.30.  

On the downside, Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. recorded the sharpest fall, slipping 3.87 percent to SR39.70. Saudi Printing and Packaging Co. dropped 3.66 percent to SR10.79, while Emaar the Economic City fell 3.55 percent to SR13.30.   

Saudi Reinsurance Co. decreased 3.05 percent to SR49.98, and Gulf General Cooperative Insurance Co. shed 3.02 percent to SR5.13.  

On the announcement front, Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. announced developments regarding the binding share sale and purchase agreement between Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd.   

The company said the agreement involves the transfer of marketing rights for products currently held by Sumitomo and its affiliates to Saudi Aramco and its subsidiaries.   

The company confirmed that it has entered into related agreements to finalize the amendments required under the “Omnibus Amendment Agreement.”  

Petro Rabigh shares closed 0.26 percent lower at SR7.70.  

Meanwhile, Saudi Vitrified Clay Pipes Co. said that the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones approved a waiver of the lease agreement to Al-Muthahidah Al-Manaqiyah Industries Co., making its SR45 million factory sale binding.  

The financial impact will be reflected in the third quarter of 2025, the company said. 

SVCP shares closed 0.86 percent lower at SR27.76.  

In addition, Thimar Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing Co. announced filing a legal lawsuit before the Securities Disputes Resolution Committee against Middle East Financial Investment Co., the manager of the Saudi Film Fund, in connection with a previously signed SR37.5 million investment agreement.   

The company said the disputed amount remains recorded as a debit balance and will be reclassified once a ruling is issued.  

Thimar Advertising’s shares closed 0.69 percent lower at SR15.82.  


No Saudi acquisition offers: FC Barcelona tells Al-Eqtisadiah

Updated 16 December 2025
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No Saudi acquisition offers: FC Barcelona tells Al-Eqtisadiah

CAIRO: FC Barcelona has not received any offers, whether from Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, to acquire the club, according to an official source who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah.

According to the source, the circulating news regarding the possibility of finalizing a deal to acquire the club in the coming period is a mere rumor.

Recent Spanish reports had indicated the possibility of a Saudi acquisition of Barcelona shares for around €10 billion ($11.7 billion), a move considered capable of saving the club from its financial crises if it were to happen, especially as it suffers from debts estimated at around €2.5 billion.

Sale not in management’s hands

Joan Gaspart, the former president of the club, confirmed that the current board of directors, chaired by Joan Laporta, does not have the right to dispose of the club’s ownership.

He added: “FC Barcelona is owned by about 150,000 members, and selling the club is something the owners will not accept. FC Barcelona possesses something no other club in the world has; money is very important, and so is passion, but the sentiment of the members today is to continue what the club has been for 125 years.”

High market value

Despite the financial crisis the club has been going through in recent years, FC Barcelona ranks sixth on the list of the world’s highest market value clubs, with an estimated value of €1.12 billion, according to Transfermarkt. Meanwhile, its rival Real Madrid tops the list with a market value of €1.38 billion.