Shares on the Saudi exchange ended the session in positive territory on Sunday, driven by strength in several industry groups. At the close, the Tadawul All Share was up 0.11%.
Leading the winners were companies in petrochemicals and industrial segments. Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co (TADAWUL:2380) paced the market, jumping 10.00% - a gain of 1.15 points - to finish at 12.65. The stock reached three-year highs during the session. Yanbu National Petrochemical Co (TADAWUL:2290) added 6.97% or 2.30 points to close at 35.30, while Alujain Corporation (TADAWUL:2170) rose 5.67% or 1.54 points to end at 28.70.
Not all names fared as well. BAAN Holding Group Company SJSC (TADAWUL:1820) was the weakest performer, slipping 7.62% or 0.16 to close at 1.94. Saudi Darb Investment Co (TADAWUL:4130) declined 4.39% or 0.10 to finish at 2.18, and National Agriculture Development Co (TADAWUL:6010) fell 4.27% or 0.72 points to 16.15. National Agriculture Development Co registered a 52-week low on the move lower.
Market breadth was slightly negative: 170 issues declined while 156 advanced and 20 closed unchanged on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange.
Sectors and market context
The session's advance was led by Cement, Real Estate Development and Telecoms & IT sectors, which helped lift the index overall despite the greater number of decliners. Petrochemical-related stocks featured among the top performers, reflecting the session's concentration of gains in industrial and energy-linked names.
Commodities and FX
Commodity prices were mixed during the trading period. Crude oil for June delivery fell 1.51% or $1.45 to trade at $94.40 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery rose 0.25% or $0.26 to $105.33 a barrel. In metals, the June Gold Futures contract increased 0.36% or $16.90 to trade at $4,740.90 a troy ounce.
Currency moves showed the euro gaining versus the riyal; EUR/SAR rose 0.33% to 4.40. The USD/SAR pair was unchanged at 3.75. The US Dollar Index Futures eased 0.24% to 98.36.
What the day’s action shows
The session featured concentrated gains in several mid- and large-cap industrial and petrochemical names that were sufficient to nudge the Tadawul All Share modestly higher. At the same time, more stocks closed lower than higher, and select names moved to new short- and medium-term extremes, underlining divergent performance across the market.