PIF takes larger Aramco stake + an absolute ton of sports news

1

WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TODAY

THIS MORNING: PIF doubles up its stake in Aramco ahead of a potential secondary share sale

Good morning, friends, and welcome to what we expect is the last day before Ramadan. (We’ll know for certain this evening). Tomorrow is also Flag Day, but officials are yet to declare it a day off work.

We have a packed issue for you this morning, with news from the PIF + Aramco, real estate, telecoms, and tons and tons of sports.

So, when do we eat? Maghrib prayers are at 6:01 pm tomorrow in the capital, and you’ll have until 4:47 am on Tuesday to finish your sohour ahead of fajr.

WEATHER- Expect scattered clouds in Riyadh today with clear skies and sunshine in Jeddah and Dammam.

Riyadh: 29°C daytime / 16°C overnight
Jeddah: 31°C daytime / 26°C overnight
Dammam: 27°C daytime / 19°C overnight

For the first day of Ramadan: The weather tomorrow is looking warmer (32°C) with the wind picking up ahead of maghrib and continuing through taraweeh prayers. Look for sun with cloudy periods and a high of 24°C on Tuesday.

PSA- The silly season of time changes has begun. Clocks spring forward one hour today in New York, Toronto, and much of North America. The UK follows suit on 31 March, while Egypt will advance one hour on 26 April. Saudi Arabia has never used daylight saving time.

THE BIG STORY AT HOME-

PIF clinches a bigger piece of Aramco ahead of a potential secondary share sale: The government has offloaded an 8% stake in oil giant Aramco to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a private transaction, according to a regulatory filing to Tadawul yesterday. This downsized the state’s direct ownership in Aramco to 82.2%. The transaction should be worth about USD 164 bn.

SOUND SMART- The sale brings the PIF’s direct and indirect ownership of the oil giant to 16%, providing it “with over USD 9 bn in annual dividend revenue from Aramco,” Reuters reports quoting Justin Alexander, director of Khalij Economics and GCC analyst for GlobalSource Partners.

BACKGROUND- The oil giant is reportedly in talks with our friends at HSBC as well as Goldman Sachs and CitiGroup to quarterback a potential USD 20 bn secondary sale later this year. Check out our past coverage here.

MEANWHILE: Aramco has unveiled its first marine fuel station — Aramco Marina —located at the Jeddah Yacht Club, state news agency SPA reports. The station has an annual operational capacity of over 65 mn liters of diesel and gasoline.

AND- Aramco is reportedly planning to extract lithium from brine found in its oilfields, Reuters report citing three unnamed sources. The move aligns with the Kingdom's push to embrace green energy solutions — lithium is one of the main components in batteries for EVs, handsets, and laptops. The PIF holds significant stakes in EV companies Lucid and Ceer.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Careem not going public, aims to grow in Saudi: The company’s CEO Mudassir Sheikha has refuted rumors about the company going public in an interview with Aleqtisadiah on the sidelines of Leap 2024. The ride hailing company plans to expand to new cities within the Kingdom after recently raising USD 400 mn, Sheikha added. This includes expanding its bicycle service to new cities after it launched in Madinah. It’s also looking ot launch a carpooling service, he said.

#2- TikTok is eyeing a bigger foothold in Saudi, CEO Shou Zi Chew told Asharq News in an interview last week.The platform has plans to invest invest more here and introduce new products, Chew said, adding that the ByteDance-owned application is considering a pilot launch of its e-commerce platform TikTok Shop in the Kingdom. He did not provide further details on the plan or a timeline for the launch.

Neom, STA + entrepreneurship are on TikTok’s priority list: TikTok is looking to work closer with Saudi entities — including working on promotional campaigns for Neom and the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), Chew said. It also aims to boost entrepreneurship in the Kingdom under a partnership with nonprofit education and training platform Injaz, he added.

#3- NDF joins WEF: The National Development Fund (NDF) has become a member of the World Economic Forum, state news agency SPA reports. Membership opens the door for the NDF to rub shoulders with other WEF members including the World Bank Group, Islamic Development Bank, African Development Bank Group, China Development Bank, and the Development Bank of Japan.

NDF is chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. It oversees nine development funds along with three banks — the Social Development Bank, Saudi Exim Bank, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Bank.

#4- The government will begin suspending some services to indebted individualsand businesses starting Monday, 11 March, state news agency SPA reported. The suspension of services will not impact access to education, healthcare, labor, commercial registration, or the issuance of identification documents. Suspension will come only after those impacted — bet hey citizens, expats, or businesses — are given a grace period to rectify their violation.

What can get you on the list? Defaulting on a loan, unpaid court fines, the failure to pay certain bills on time.

The courts will still have a final say on handing travel bans and a suspension of banking services for overdrawn citizens, expats and businesses, sources close to the matter told Okaz yesterday.

How will services be frozen? The government can act after obtaining an order from a court or the prosecutor’s office, or a decree from either the King or cabinet.

#5- Check your fuel gauge before leaving the gas station: Some 39 fuel stations in 19 provinces were shut down for installing devices that lied about the quantity of fuel sold at the pumps, state news agency SPA reports. Charges are pending.

#6- Jeddah’s skyline welcomed the minarets of the world’s first 3D-printed mosque, Arab News reported last week. The mosque, named after the late business leader Abdulaziz Abdullah Sharbatly, was built using cutting-edge 3D printers from China’s leading 3D construction printing solutions provider Guanli.

PSAs-

#1- Property owners in 56 districts in Riyadh, Dammam, and Madinah have until Thursday, 28 March, to register their properties — at no cost — throughthe Real Estate Registry (RER) e-platform, the Real Estate General Authority said in a statement on Friday. Fines will be levied for non compliance and those who fail to register will be unable to make any transactions on their properties. Check out our past coverage of RER here.

#2- Tenants can now transfer the remaining period of a residential lease to a new tenant without terminating the current contract or registering a new one through the new services provided by the government’s rental platform Ejar, it said in a statement.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

No single story dominates headlines this morning, but among those you should know about:

Talks on a ceasefire in Gaza are set to resume in Cairo today, though it seems unlikely Hamas will be physically in the Egyptian capital for the discussions.
Sam Altman is back on the board of OpenAI and the Wall Street Journal has thoughts about which flavor of AI might be best for your business.
Ransomware gangs LockBit and and BlackCat are implodingafter law enforcement mounted a coordinated campaign to take them down. LockBit made headlines in our part of the world with a high-profile attack on Egyptian fintech giant Fawry.

MORNING MUST-READS- Pundits spent much of 2022 and 2023 warning about economic armageddon — it didn’t arrive — but that doesn’t mean we’re not looking at a meltdown in (US) capital markets. That’s the takeaway from twin pieces getting plenty of attention this morning.

Start with:Jamie Dimon and Ray Dalio warned of an economic disaster that never came. What now? in the Wall Street Journal.

Then read:Markets are hitting record highs. And economists like El-Erian and Krugman can’t shake off their fears, which digs into both potential catalysts for a market plunge — and why some think the US (and perhaps global) economy isn’t out of the woods just yet.

STC submits highest offer in bidding race for Altice Portugal

STC has filed the highest bid for Altice Portugal: Saudi Telecom Co. (STC), the kingdom’s largest telecoms operator, has reportedly submitted the highest binding offer to acquire Altice Portugal, the largest telecom service provider in Portugal, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources close to the matter.

The bid places STC at the forefront of a race against other potential suitors, the sources said. Altice has asked other potential bidders to revise their proposals in light of STC’s offer, they said. Other bidders seem reluctant to do so, the business information service adds.

BACKGROUND- Interest from STC, which is 64% owned by the Public Investment Fund, and others come as Israeli b’naire Patrick Drahi looks to sell shares in a bid to pay down debt.

Drahi was hoping to bag a lofty EUR 10 bn from the sale, a price tag scared off most potential buyers. Bloomberg suggests that concerns over non-EU foreign ownership could be an obstacle to STC’s bid.

STC’s strategy: The mobile network giant has been pushing into Europe of late. It grabbed a 9.9% stake in Spain’s Telefonica in September to become the telecom giant’s top shareholder. The move came a few months after its subsidiary Tawal, a leading integrated ICT infrastructure company in the MENA region, agreed to buy mobile tower infrastructure in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia worth EUR 1.2 bn from United Group.

Trouble for Altice: French prosecutors opened on Friday an investigation into alleged corruption linked to the Portuguese telecom operator, Bloomberg reported. The probe comes months after Altice co-founder Armando Pereira and others were arrested in Portugal over alleged corruption, tax fraud and others. He was released on a EUR 10 mn bail.

Ceer awards SAR 5 bn contract for EV plant to Modern Building Leaders

One step closer to Ceer’s EV production facility: The Kingdom’s first electric vehicle brand Ceer awarded a SAR 5 bn (USD 1.3 bn) construction contract for its electric vehicle complex to local contractor Modern Building Leaders, a statement by Ceer read last week. Creer didn’t say when it expects the factory to be up and running.

What we know: Located in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Ceer’s EV complex will span over 1 mn sqm, with a bit more than half of that figure being under a roof. It will include press, body, and paint shops, as well as a general assembly line, it said. The complex will also include zones for logistics, waste management, storage, offices, water treatment, and a vehicle testing track.

About Ceer: The company — launched in November 2022 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — is expected to contribute USD 8 bn to GDP by 2034 and to be a magnet for more than USD 150 mn in foreign direct investment. Ceer’s EVs are expected to hit the market in 2025. It will license component technology from BMW in the development process.

The Apple connection: Creer is a JV between the Public Investment Fund and Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, or Foxconn. Foxconn is best known as the largest maker of Apple iPhones.

Lucid is already in the first days of assembly here: US EV manufacturer Lucid — in which the PIF owns a 60% stake — inaugurated in September its first overseas production facility in KAEC. It plans to produce 155k EVs yearly in the Kingdom once it hits full capacity here in 2025.

Ras Gamila talks continue + Talaat Moustafa looks to start constriction on USD 10+ bn city next month

Real estate is in the headlines this morning as two pieces of news duel for your attention.

UP FIRST- A play for Egypt’s Ras Gamila: Authorities are in talks with Egyptian officials to acquire the development rights to South Sinai’s Ras Gamila, Bloomberg reported last week, citing sources close to the matter. Nobody in Saudi or Egypt has publicly put a price tag on the sale, but Bloomberg expects it to be in the multiple USD bns.

What’s Ras Gamila? The cape separates a wide, sandy lagoon from the Red Sea generally described as one of the most beautiful dives on Egypt’s globally popular Sharm coast. Ras Gamila is directly across the Strait of Tiran from Neom and not far from the site of a proposed bridge that would link Neom to Sinai.

A sale of the development rights to Ras Gamila would be a second mega-transaction for Egypt. It recently sold the development rights to the North Coast’s Ras El Hekma to Abu Dhabi’s ADQ for USD 24 bn. ADQ said it would also convert and invest some USD 11 bn worth of deposits at Egypt’s central bank.

AND- Egyptian real estate giant TMG’s first foray into the Kingdom will soon be off the ground: Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) will kick off construction on its Benan City project in Riyadh mid-April, CEO Hisham Talaat Moustafa told Asharq Business, explaining that construction is expected to take around eight years to complete. The final agreement (pdf) for the land purchase was inked last week.

Cost estimates are up: Moustafa told the outlet that the project would carry a price tag of about SAR 65 bn (c. USD 17.3 bn) — 63% above an initial price estimate of SAR 40 bn (c. USD 10.7 bn) when the project was first announced in September in a TMG statement.

Benan City? The smart city is being developed in eastern Riyadh’s Al Fursan in partnership with the National Housing Company. It will be home to some 27.8k residential units, along with a sports club and health, educational, and commercial services. The project marks the Egyptian real estate developer’s first overseas project.

Expect plenty more investment in Saudi football

Another wave of football privatization is in the works, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing statements by Deputy Sports Minister Bader Alkadi during the Bloomberg Power Players conference in Jeddah. “We expect to have another wave of privatization coming up soon,” Alkadi said. “That gives us an opportunity to make the investment in sport a sustainable investment, an investment that gives us a return to reinvest,” he added.

Announced in December: The Sports Ministry and the National Center for Privatization and Public-Private Partnerships (NCP) announced in December a second phase of a program to privatize and line up investment for sports clubs. The program aims to open the sector to both local and global investors.

BACKGROUND- The first phase of the program saw top football clubs Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, Al Nassr, and Al Hilaltransferred to the PIF in June under the program launched by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohamed bin Salman. Under the plan, the four clubs will be transformed into companies with the PIF holding a 75% stake, with the remaining 25% being up for grabs via their general assemblies, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said at the time.

Expect more player transfers too: Alkadi also said that more players are inbound, joining the likes of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. It remains unclear if the transfers would be of the same caliber as their predecessors, but Liverpool star Mo Salah is a perennial topic of speculation.

Want to go deeper into the Bloomberg business of sports forum? Tap or click here to watch the stream (watch, runtime: 2:00:37) on Bloomberg LIve.

F1 GRAND PRIX-

Red Bull completed aone-two finish at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prixin Jeddah with Max Verstappen extending his record to nine victories in a row, one shy of the record for most consecutive wins in history — which he holds himself. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez came in second while Ferrari’s Charles Lecrec took the last spot on the podium. Rookie Oliver Bearman, stepping in at Ferrari for Carlos Sainz, scored points in his first F1 race to finish in seventh place ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The 18-year old lit up qualifying after fractionally missing out on Q3.

TENNIS-

ALSO- Tunsian tennis star Ons Jabeur reiterated her support to Saudi’s potential hosting of the 2024 Women’s Tennis Association (WTO) finals, Reuters reported last week. "The country is evolving. I know that other people have a different opinion, which is normal, but I've been there a couple of times and I've seen how amazing people are, how women are getting more and more rights,” she told reporters at Indian Wells.

REMEMBER- Officials are trying to land the hosting rights for the 2024 WTA finals, drawing criticism from retired tennis icons Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova who have been pushing back against the bid. The opposition drew a smart reply from Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington. Princess Reema said Evert and Navratilova’s opposition was “based on arguments that are outdated stereotypes and western-centric views of our culture.”

EGYPT CUP-

Al Ahly was crowned Egypt Cup champions at Al Awwal Stadium in Riyadh on Friday after two last-gasp goals against rival Zamalek. Former Zamalek player Emam Ashour bagged the first goal in the 84th minute while Mohammed Magdy ‘Afsha’ consolidated the victory with another 10 minutes later.

FIGHTING- Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou three times in two rounds at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday.

AND- Handball club Al Khaleej was crowned champions of the AHF Asian Men’s Handball Championship for the third time in a row on Friday. The team left victorious with a score of 21-18 against Al Safa Club.

Tech conference Leap attracted >50% more investment than did last year’s iteration

Leap 2024 has drawn USD 14 bn in tech investments this year — up from last year’s USD 9 bn — before wrapping up last Thursday. The event brought together 215k visitors (+25% y-o-y) while the number of speakers nearly doubled to 1.1k. Circle your calendars for next year’s event slated for 10-13 February 2025.

Here’s everything you need to know from the last day:

#1- Six startups took Rocket Fuel awards worth a total of USD 1 mn:

US-basedReme-D received the USD 250k LEAP award;
India’s cleantech Newtrace took a USD 150k shooting star award;
US-based software developer Playbook received the USD150k aviatrix award;
South Korea’s drone data startup Angelswing snagged a USD 150k technology for humanity award;
Digital receipt service Wateer received the USD 150k into new worlds award;
India’s e-waste startup Cerebra landed the USD 150k AI award.

#2- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) inked three separateagreementswith Chinese AI company Sensetime, with CDT International to develop the semiconductor industry in the Kingdom, and with Stallrweif Technologies for electronic chip design.

#3- Prince Sultan University signed an agreement with homegrown AI company Intelmatix to launch the first AI initiative in the university, state news agency SPA reports. No further information was provided.

A flurry of earnings reports

Strap in and get ready for a quick overview:

SACO-

Saudi Company for Hardware’s net losses fell 51% y-o-y to SAR 69 mn in 2023, while revenues declined 18.2% y-o-y to SAR 930 mn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawu l. The company’s BoD has advised against paying dividends for FY 2023 to improve its finances, it said in a separate disclosure..

TAWUNIYA-

Tawuniya’s net income doubled y-o-y to SAR 616 mn in 2023, while revenues were up 34% y-o-y to SAR 15.3 bn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

SHL FINANCE-

SHL Finance’s net income decreased 97.6% y-o-y to SAR 2.3 mn in 2023, and revenues were down 44% y-o-y to SAR 94 mn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

ALANDALUS-

Alandalus Property’s net income decreased 45.5% y-o-y to SAR 36.4 mn in 2023, while revenues were basically unchanged, falling 0.4% y-o-y to SAR 215 mn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadaw ul. The company’s BoD has approved a dividend payout of SAR 23.3 mn at SAR 0.25 per share for 2H 2023, it said in a separate disclosure. Payments will be made to eligible shareholders on Tuesday, 26 March.

RIYADH CABLES-

Riyadh Cables Group’s net income increased 47% y-o-y to SAR 519 mn in 2023, while revenues were up 14% y-o-y to SAR 7.8 bn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The company’s BoD has recommended a dividend payout of SAR 224.6 mn at SAR 1.5 per share for 2H 2023, it said in a separate disclosure.

MARAFIQ-

Power and Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu’s net income decreased 38% y-o-y to SAR 526 mn in 2023, while revenues fell 1.8% y-o-y to SAR 6.4 bn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

THIMAR-

Thimar Development Holding’s net losses doubled y-o-y to SAR 6.5 mn in 2023, and it made zero revenues last year, according to a disclosure to Tadawul. The accumulated losses have exceeded the company’s entire capital for the third year in a row, explaining the ongoing financial restructuring, according to an audit report (pdf).

SAUDI CEMENT-

Saudi Cement’s net income decreased 4.5% y-o-y to SAR 381 mn in 2023, while revenues were up 3% y-o-y to SAR 1.5 bn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

MESC-

Middle East Specialized Cables has turned into the black with a net income of SAR 49 mn in 2023, while revenues were up 13.8% y-o-y to SAR 927 mn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

ARABIAN PIPES COMPANY-

Arabian Pipes has turned into the black with a net income of SAR 132 mn in 2023, while revenues doubled to SAR 1 bn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

ALAKARIA-

Saudi Real Estate’s net income fell 39% y-o-y to SAR 67.6 mn in 2023, and revenues were down 11.6% y-o-y to SAR 1.8 bn over the same period, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

With F1 and a UFC fight, it was a huge weekend for sports in Saudi Arabia

Surprising no one, sports dominated coverage of the Kingdom by the foreign press over the weekend, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Anthony Joshua beating Francis Ngannou in a brutal knockout win leading coverage. The race got ink from Reuters | AFP | Associated Press | The Guardian | BBC. Joshua’s win in Riyadh was all over the news too with coverage from Reuters | AFP | Associated Press | The Guardian and others.

STA signs agreements with Trip.com, Flynas, Eurowings. PLUS: real estate, foodtech, and construction

TOURISM-

The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has signed more than 14 agreements on the sidelines of the ITB Berlin 2024 travel forum, which wrapped up on Thursday, it said in a post on X. Among these, a partnership with Trip.com Group to attract an additional 350k tourists to the Kingdom over the next year and promote Saudi tourism on its site. Flynas is set to launch a new route between Jeddah and Berlin, starting Sunday, 1 September 2024, with three flights weekly, to enhance access to Saudi’s sites and increase passenger numbers.

ALSO- Eurowings partnered up with the Saudi Air connectivity Program to launch direct flights connecting Cologne and Berlin to Jeddah beginning operations in October 2024. Furthermore, STA will collaborate with Visit Bahrain, Visit Oman, and Qatar Tourism to promote the GCC region as a tourist destination.

REAL ESTATE-

Tadawul-listed Al Baha Investment and Development can now directly develop land and residential projects without the need for an intermediary after receiving a license from the Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Ministry, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul last week. It can also launch off-plan sales, lease real estate assets and get into exclusive partnerships with the ministry and other real estate developers both within and beyond the Kingdom. The real estate developer has also been granted an exemption from real estate supplies tax.

DEBT WATCH-

Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies (AWPT) has obtained a shariah-compliant facility worth SAR 536 mn from Al Rajhi Bank to finance its subsidiary Package 6 Co. for Environmental Services, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul last week. The funds will be directed to operation and maintenance contracts for sewage treatments plants in Riyadh.

CONSTRUCTION-

Ladun Investment’s subsidiary Built Industrial has signed a SAR 169.5 mncontract with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbuto develop prefabricated buildings, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul last week. The contract covers the development of a 154.5k sqm land area in Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries, including the construction of 38 prefabricated industrial buildings and two security guard buildings that span 38.8k sqm.

STARTUP WATCH-

Homegrown food tech startup Barakahis eyeing a wider expansion to the GCC and in the region after landing fresh investment from European early-stage VC investor FoodLabs, co-founder and CEO prince Abdulaziz bin Al Saud told Asharq Business in an interview (watch, runtime: 2:38). “Our objective is to become the largest surplus marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa,” he said, without providing further details on the investment made by FoodLabs.

About Barakah: Launched in 2021, Barakah is an online marketplace that allows food and beverage retailers to sell their surplus products and meals through its platform in a bid to better manage food waste. It currently operates in six cities in Saudi, including Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Khobar, Makkah and Madinah, according to its CEO.

Barakah has locked in agreements with over 800 retailers operating in the local market including Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Cinnabon, he said. It has managed to save over 350k meals in 15 months, he added.

TECH-

KACST talks tech collaboration with US delegation: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) President Munir Eldesouki discussed collaborating in future communications technologies during a meeting with US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Tech Affairs Anne Neuberger, Saudi Gazette reported last week. The talks included the deployment of Open RAN innovations, advancements in cybersecurity, and leveraging AI in smart networks among others

CAPITAL MARKETS-

Mulkia Investment has received regulatory approvals for the public offering of its Mulkia Murabaha and Saving Fund, according to a Capital Market Authority statement last week. The investment company is also trying to establish a separate real estate fund.

ECB, Fed hint at upcoming rate cuts

ECB hints at June rate cut: The European Central Bank (ECB) maintained borrowing costs at historically high levels when it met on Thursday but hinted at a shift, with a first interest rate cut potentially coming in June following the publication of 1Q 2024’s wage data, Reuters reports. “We will know a little more in April, but we will know a lot more in June,” ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the bank is “not far” from the confidence it needs in a sustained decline of inflation to its target 2% before considering rate cuts, Reuters reported. Powell’s remarks helped spur investor confidence in a potential June rate cut, leading to a rally in the S&P 500 that led to a record closing high on Thursday. The Nasdaq also hit an intraday record high and narrowly missed a closing high, settling up 1.5%. Both indices erased most of their gains on Friday — the S&P 500 was down 0.7%, while the Nasdaq fell 1.2%.

TASI	12,578	+0.13% (YTD: +5.1%)
MSCI Tadawul 30	1,603	+0.1% (YTD: +5.1%)
USD : SAR (SAMA)	3.75 Sell	3.75 Buy
Interest rates	6.5% repo	5.5% reverse repo
EGX30	31,301	+5.2% (YTD: +25.7%)
ADX	9,235	+0.1% (YTD: -3.6%)
DFM	4,253	+0.4% (YTD: +4.8%)
S&P 500	5,124	-0.7% (YTD: +7.4%)
FTSE 100	7,660	-0.4% (YTD: -1%)
Euro Stoxx 50	4,961	-0.3% (YTD: +9.7%)
Brent crude	USD 82	-1.1%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 1.8	-0.7%
Gold	USD 2,179	+0.9%
BTC	USD 68,509	+0.2% (YTD: +236%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The TASI rose 0.1% yesterday on turnover of SAR 9.7 bn. The index is up 5.1% YTD.

In the green: Electrical Industries Company (+8.7%), East Pipes (+8.2%) and Alkhaleej Training (+6%).

In the red: Saco (-5.1%), Amiantit (-4.7%) and Ayyan (-4.4%).

Asian markets are up/down in early trading this morning and futures suggest xx

CORPORATE ACTIONS-

#1- eXtra’s BoD has agreed to distribute SAR 160 mn in dividends at SAR 2 per share for 2H 2023, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. Payments will be made to eligible shareholders on Thursday, 21 March.

#2- Jarir Marketing’s BoD has approved a dividend payout of SAR 276 mn at SAR 0.23 per share for 4Q 2023, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. Shareholders can cash out the dividends on Wednesday, 20 March.

#3- Power and Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu (Marafiq)’s BoD has approved a dividend payout of SAR 275 mn at SAR 1.1 per share for 2H 2023, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. Payments will be made to eligible shareholders on Wednesday, 27 March.

#4- Gas Arabian Services’ BoD has recommended a dividend payout of SAR 47.3 mn at SAR 0.3 apiece for FY 2023, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The distribution date will be announced at a later date.

#5- Chubb Arabia Cooperative Ins.’s BoD has advised against paying dividends for FY 2023 to maintain a solvency margin, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

#6- Amlak International Finance’s BoD has recommended a capital increase to SAR 1 bn through a statutory reserve and a portion of retained earnings of one share for every eight shares, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

Bin Farhan, Blinken discuss potential six-week ceasefire in Gaza

FM bin Farhan, Blinken talk Gaza ceasefire: Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed prospects of a six-week ceasefire in Gaza with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a phone call on Friday, according to statements (here and here). The potential ceasefire comes as part of an agreement that would see the release of hostages and upping humanitarian aid to the war-torn strip.

The Foreign Ministry welcomed a resolution by the UN Security Council (UNSC) calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan, according to a statement on X yesterday. “The Kingdom expresses its hope that all Sudanese parties will abide by the Security Council resolution to preserve Sudan and the lives of its people…,” it said. The ministry also urged Sudanese parties “to adhere to the outputs of the Jeddah talks aimed at…stopping the hostilities and resolving the crisis through political dialogue”.

CALENDAR

APRIL

8-11 April (Monday-Thursday): Saudi Super Cup, Abu Dhabi.

9-10 April (Tuesday-Wednesday): Eid al-Fitr (tbc based on the start date of Ramadan)

14-21 April (Sunday-Monday): IMF and World Bank spring meetings, Washington, DC

28-29 April (Sunday-Monday): World Economic Forum’s Special Meeting, Riyadh.

29 April-1 May: Future Hospitality Summit at Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh.

MAY

2-5 May (Thursday-Sunday): TownhallExpo, Riyadh.

19-21 May (Sunday-Tuesday): Saudi Energy Convention, Riyadh.

21-23 May (Tuesday-Thursday): The Saudi Food Show, Riyadh.

Signposted to happen sometime in May:

Global Trade Review (GTR): KSA
Saudi Energy Convention

JUNE

5 June (Wednesday): World Environment Day.

Signposted to happen sometime in June:

Eid Al-Adha (national holiday)

AUGUST

12-15 August (Monday-Thursday): The Saudi Food Expo, Riyadh

SEPTEMBER

11-12 September (Wednesday-Thursday): The Saudi Event Show, Riyadh.

23 September (Monday): National Day (national holiday)

DECEMBER

2-13 December (Monday-Friday): Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Riyadh.

Signposted to happen sometime in 2024:

The AFC Champions League Elite

2025

FEBRUARY

10-13 February (Monday-Thursday): Leap 2025, the Kingdom’s premier tech investment conference

Sections

About

Privacy & Support

Get EnterpriseAM daily