Sunday 30 June 2024

Banks drag #Saudi down, #Qatar hits 3-month high | Reuters

Banks drag Saudi down, Qatar hits 3-month high | Reuters


The Saudi index closed lower on Sunday, with the financial sector leading the losses, while the Qatari index hit a three-month high having risen consistently through the month.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index (.TASI), opens new tab, which recorded its first monthly gain after three months of consecutive losses, dropped 0.4%.

The losses in the index were driven by Saudi Arabia's two biggest lenders, with Al Rajhi Banking And Investment Corporation (1120.SE), opens new tab declining 1.8% and Saudi National Bank (1180.SE), opens new tab dipping 1.2%.

However, Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco (2222.SE), opens new tab gained 0.7% after the company signed contracts for the second phase of the expansion of its Jafurah gas field and the third phase of expanding its main gas network.

Al Taiseer Group Talco Industrial (4143.SE), opens new tab, which listed on June 13 on the main Saudi market, and Modern Mills Company (2284.SE), opens new tab, were the biggest gainer on the index, with 9.9% gains each.

The Saudi index advanced 1.8% in June, but declined 5.6% in second quarter as a whole, according to LSEG data.

The Qatari benchmark index (.QSI), opens new tab edged up 0.1%, despite a majority of stocks being in the red, helped by gains in industrial and financial sector stocks.

The Gulf's largest lender Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA), opens new tab gained 0.3% and petrochemicals producer Industries Qatar (IQCD.QA), opens new tab added 0.6%.

The Qatari index, which rose in all 18 sessions this month, posted a gain of 6.9% in June, its highest monthly gain this year, according to LSEG data. On Sunday it hit an intraday high of 9,998.36, the highest intraday level since 10,007.4 seen on March 28.