RIYADH: Saudi Arabian stocks opened flat on Tuesday, with the main index TASI just nudging higher, on weaker investor sentiment amidst cautious trading.
As of 10:20 a.m. Saudi time, TASI was at 12,081 points, and the parallel Nomu market traded at 25,560 points.
Saudi insurer Bupa Arabia topped the gainers in early trading as it surged 3.3 percent to SR139 ($37).
In the financial sector, the Kingdom’s largest bank by market value Al Rajhi Bank advanced 0.5 percent and Alinma Bank edged up 0.2 percent.
Financial sector gains were capped as shares in the Saudi British Bank, known as SABB, the Arab National Bank, and Riyad Bank fell 0.9, 1.3, and 0.9 percent, respectively.
Shares in utility provider ACWA POWER Co. went up by 1.33 percent.
Riyadh-based transport firm Saudi Public Transport Co. added 0.8 percent after it sealed a SR57.5 million public transport deal with the authority of Saudi Arabia’s Madinah Region.
Arabian Centres Co., known as Almrakez, gained 0.7 percent.
Almrakez said it will distribute cash dividends at SR0.75 ($0.2) per share for the first half of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021.
In energy trading, Brent crude oil reached $86.9 per barrel, and US benchmark WTI crude oil was at $83.8 per barrel as of 10:17 a.m. Saudi time.
