Tadawul: Saudi cement shares move to top

Despite an upward jump (+91.9 points) after the opening bell, the Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) finished with a balmy gain of 15.2 points or 0.2 percent on Thursday.
The index performed within a range of nearly hundred points, closing the day at 7,766.52. On year-to-date basis, it crossed a positive return of fourteen percent.
The market cap indices closed the day in mixed territories.
Saudi sector indices also performed in a mixed fashion, with six sectors accumulating an aggregate of 393 points and nine sectors trimming 204 points collectively.
Cement came out as the best performing sector of the day, advancing 0.95 percent to close at 7,216.44. Tourism and Banking sectors followed it, increasing by 0.88 percent and 0.69 percent respectively.
Most of heavy weights rose from previous day’s levels, with Saudi British Bank outdid rest of its peers, surging 1.3 percent to SR 39.5.
Market breadth with advance-decline ratio of 0.7:1 remained slightly negative.
Saudi Hollandi Bank and Mouwasat Medical Services Company topped the performance chart at Tadawul, soaring up 3.66 percent and 3.31 percent respectively.
Market volume went down by 34 percent and traded 228.8 million shares as compared to previous day’s 345.9 million shares. But still it was 5.7 percent greater than 50-day average of 216.4 million shares.
Most of the trading was concentrated in Saudi Mobile Telecommunications (Zain), which liquidated 27.8 million shares, a relative market share of 12.2 percent.
Aljazira Takaful Taawuni Company with a liquidity of SR 632.1 million topped the value chart, closing at SR 47.9.