Saudi Stocks Lead Mixed GCC Markets as TASI Climbs 0.72%

Riyadh | EcoPulse24

Saudi Arabia's stock market outperformed its Gulf peers on Wednesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) rising 0.72% to 10,775.46, supported by gains in major banking stocks, while most other regional markets finished the session in negative territory.

Across the Gulf, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) fell 0.13% to 9,771.47, the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) declined 0.47% to 5,785.31, the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) lost 0.40% to 10,066.51, and Boursa Kuwait edged 0.05% lower to 8,616.52.

The broader Masadir GCC Market Pulse (Beta) nevertheless ended 0.23% higher, reflecting continued resilience in regional sentiment despite diverging performances among individual exchanges.

Saudi Banks Drive TASI Higher

Banking shares were among the strongest contributors to the Saudi market's advance.

Saudi National Bank (SNB) gained 2.84% to SAR 39.90, recording trading value of more than SAR 281.5 million, while Al Rajhi Bank, the session's most actively traded stock by value, rose 0.39% to SAR 64.25 with turnover exceeding SAR 362.8 million.

Alinma Bank also advanced 0.89% to SAR 23.72, reinforcing positive momentum across the financial sector.

By contrast, Saudi Aramco slipped 0.45% to SAR 26.58, while East Pipes Integrated Company dropped 9.96%, marking one of the session's sharpest declines despite remaining among the market's most actively traded stocks by value.

Kingdom Holding Leads Gainers

Among the day's best-performing stocks:

• Raoom Trading surged 9.72%.

• Kingdom Holding climbed 7.28%.

• Care Medical gained 5.42%.

• Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries & Medical Appliances (SPIMACO) advanced 4.28%.

• Bank Aljazira rose 4.09%, supported by trading value exceeding SAR 109 million.

Regional Markets End Mixed

Outside Saudi Arabia, investors adopted a more cautious stance.

The Dubai Financial Market posted the largest decline among the major Gulf exchanges, while Abu Dhabi and Qatar also finished lower. Kuwait's benchmark index was little changed, reflecting relatively stable trading conditions.

Despite the mixed performance, regional market movements remained relatively contained, indicating the absence of broad-based selling pressure across Gulf equities.

EcoPulse24 Analysis

Wednesday's trading session highlighted a widening divergence across GCC equity markets. Saudi Arabia continued to outperform on the back of strength in heavyweight banking stocks, offsetting weakness in energy-linked names such as Saudi Aramco.

The resilience of Saudi financial shares suggests investors remain focused on domestic earnings expectations and economic activity rather than short-term fluctuations in oil-related stocks. Meanwhile, softer performances in the UAE and Qatar point to selective profit-taking rather than a deterioration in regional risk appetite.

The Masadir GCC Market Pulse reinforced this picture, closing in positive territory despite only one of the five tracked exchanges finishing higher. The indicator's "Divergent Market" regime, together with a breadth reading of 1 out of 5 and a positive Z-score of +0.65, suggests leadership remains concentrated rather than broad-based, with Saudi equities continuing to provide the primary source of regional strength.

GCC Market Performance

Masadir GCC Market Pulse (Beta)