The Saudi stock market recorded mild losses Sunday, slipping more than half percent.

The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) opened with a negative note (-57.5 points) and then moving sideways for rest of the session finished 45.35 points lower to 8,125.4. TASI's year-to-date gains reached to 19.5 percent.

Large Cap performed worst among the market cap indices, declining 0.67 percent yesterday. Market leader SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.) suffered worst of all heavyweights, dipping by 2.39 percent and closing at SR102.25.

Most of the sector indices ended negatively, paring an aggregate of 1,081.9 points. Tourism and Petrochemical Industries sectors showed the worst performance, falling 5.45 percent and 1.83 percent respectively. Al-Tayyar travel group and National petrochemical company showing excessive losses of 6.78 percent and 3.91 percent respectively became the major decliners at Tadawul.

On the positive side, energy and utilities sector remained the key gaining sector, advancing 0.73 percent to 4,959.81.

Advancing stocks outnumbered decliners by a margin of 68 to 64 and the prices of 25 companies remained unchanged.

Red Sea Housing occupied the leading position among all Saudi stocks, surging by 8.21 percent to close the day at SR50.75. The Mediterranean & Gulf Insurance & Reinsurance Co. was another significant advancer, rising by 5.17 percent.

Surprisingly, Tadawul daily turnover remained nearly unchanged from its previous level of 165 million shares worth SR4.1 billion. The 50-day average for trading turnover is closer to 218.8 million shares worth SR5.5 billion.

Dar Al-Arkan real estate with trades over 18.4 million topped the volume chart, closing exactly at par value. It captured 11.2 percent of the overall market volume.