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Tadawul Equities End Lower Ahead of Saudi's April Exports, Import Data

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The Tadawul All Share Index closed on Wednesday at 0.25% in the red ahead of the kingdom's latest export and import numbers on Thursday.

Aside from the local economic releases, market watchers will also tune in to the US' final GDP growth rate data for the first quarter, as well as the progress of the final US-Iran peace deal.

US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that Iran agreed to "infinity" nuclear inspections. However, the Middle Eastern nation denied that it raised its nuclear program during its discussions on Monday. The statements raised concerns regarding the peace deal and its effect on energy prices.

"A potential peace deal between the United States and Iran paves the way for lower energy prices over the next 12-18 months, once constraints on global trade and supply ease. However, near-term risks remain. While the overall trajectory for oil prices is lower, ongoing risks and delays in restoring supply conditions will likely keep prices above pre-war levels in the coming months," Wells Fargo Investment Institute said in a note.

Back at home, Ades Holding (SASE:2382) shares ticked up 2.53% as its Ades Saudi Ltd. subsidiary agreed to buy Saudi Arabian Saipem Ltd. from Saipem International for $285 million.

Meanwhile, the board of Takween Advanced Industries (SASE:1201) proposed to reduce its capital to 245.3 million Saudi riyals to optimize its capital structure via offsetting accumulated losses. Shares of the plastics packaging and non-woven fabric company closed 0.40% in the green.

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Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Decline Amid Hard Sell-Off in Chipmakers

(Updates with index/price moves and analysts' comments from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes slumped as profit-taking in mega-cap semiconductor names pushed the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 sharply lower on Tuesday.The tech-heavy Nasdaq sank 2.2% to 25,587.04, the S&P 500 dived 1.4% to 7,365.46, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped less than 0.1% to 51,666.84 at the close. Technology, industrials, and materials were the standout decliners, while consumer staples, real estate, and health care topped the gainers.In a category of stocks with a market capitalization of over $200 billion, 18 out of the 20 worst-performing stocks were technology firms. Sandisk (SNDK), Micron Technology (MU), and Arm (ARM) were the steepest decliners, sinking by at least 10% each. Within technology, semiconductors bore the brunt of investors' apathy.The sharp selling is likely profit-taking after market exuberance pushed tech stocks to record highs this year, Javier Correonero, Morningstar senior equity analyst, said in a news report published on the company's website. "There's a lot of froth in the markets."Tech stocks may face spillover impact from the selloff in South Korea, though the slide appears to be a "pullback/breather" in a market that nearly doubled this year, Wedbush Securities said in a note."We view the KOSPI sell-off as a pullback/breather on a market up almost 100% this year and also believe [SK Hynix, an affiliate of SK Telecom (SK)] overtaking Samsung was a big symbolic move that caused some investors to worry about an 'overheated' memory chip trade," Wedbush analysts, including Dan Ives, said in the note.Offering a different viewpoint on market moves, the Wells Fargo Investment Institute said in a research note that stocks often weaken before elections, referring to the US midterm polls in November. "Markets typically respond to a clearer policy outlook, so long-term investors should stay focused on fundamentals and consider adding equity exposure during election-driven pullbacks."In geopolitical news, President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors will be heading to Iran, according to a report from Al Jazeera. In response to a journalist who said that Tehran claims that there are no scheduled IAEA visits, Trump said: "They're wrong, they know they're wrong. They told us inside, and we have it down 100 percent. If they were right, I'd cancel the meetings right now."Separately, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said no negotiations will take place on the country's ballistic missiles, Al Jazeera reported.Front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent retreated 1.2% to $76.95 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate slid 1% to $73.13 per barrel, with both crude oil types off session lows.In economic news, the June flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global rose to a 49-month high of 55.7 from 55.1 in May, in contrast with an expected decrease to 54.6 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.Most US Treasury yields fell, but were off session lows. The 10-year slipped one basis point to 4.5%, and the two-year rate declined 2.7 basis points to 4.2%.In precious metals, gold futures dropped 1.8% to $4,129.00, and silver futures slumped 6.1% to $62.01.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$ARM$MU$SNDK
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds Decline, US Equities Mixed After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV edged lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 2.7%.US equity indexes traded mixed as a rout in heavyweight semiconductor names hit the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 in Tuesday's midday trading.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each added about 0.7%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 3.2%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) eased 3%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was down 2.7%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) declined 5.8%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) dipped 7%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) added 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) climbed 1.1%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), declined 1.2%.CommoditiesCrude oil fell 1.2%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) slipped 1.5%. Natural gas dropped 3.2%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was down 2.7%.Gold on Comex eased 1.2%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) fell 1.2%. Silver was down 5.3%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) shed 4.6%.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) rose 1.6%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) added 1.7%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) was up 1.6%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) dipped 0.6%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) rose 1%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) was up 0.7%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) rose 1.2%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) added 1.2%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) was up 1.2%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 1.6%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 1.2%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also lower.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) eased 3.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) fell 3.2%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was down 4.5%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 2.9% lower.

Dow Jones^EEM^EXI^FAS^FAZ^GLD^IBB^IGM^IGV^IPK^IVV^IWMNasdaq Composite^IYE^IYH^IYJ^IYK^IYW^PMR^QQQ^RTH^SOXXS&P 500^SPY^UNG^USO^VDC^VHT^VIS^XLE^XLF^XLI^XLK^XLP^XLV^XRT^XSD$BETH$BITO$EETH
Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Mixed as Mega-Cap Sell-Off Sends Nasdaq, S&P 500 Sliding

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and analysts' comments from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes traded mixed as a rout in heavyweight semiconductor names hit the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 in Tuesday's midday trading.The Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.4% to 25,803.1, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.9% to 7,403.2 intraday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 51,821.7.Technology and industrials were the standout decliners, while consumer staples and real estate topped the gainers intraday.In a category of stocks with a market capitalization of over $200 billion, 17 out of the bottom 20 stocks were technology firms. Sandisk (SNDK), Micron Technology (MU), and Qualcomm (QCOM) were the steepest decliners, sinking by at least 9% each intraday. Within technology, semiconductors bore the brunt of investors' apathy.Tech stocks may face spillover impact from the selloff in South Korea, though the slide appears to be a "pullback/breather" in a market that nearly doubled this year, Wedbush Securities said in a note. South Korea's Korea Composite Stock Price Index, which was up roughly 90% year-to-date, fell about 10% on Tuesday, the brokerage said in a note."We view the KOSPI sell-off as a pullback/breather on a market up almost 100% this year and also believe [SK Hynix, an affiliate of SK Telecom overtaking Samsung was a big symbolic move that caused some investors to worry about an 'overheated' memory chip trade," Wedbush analysts, including Dan Ives, said in the note.Offering a different viewpoint, the Wells Fargo Investment Institute said in a research note that stocks often weaken before elections, referring to the US midterm polls in November. However, history shows those declines have often been followed by strong rebounds and better returns in the year after midterm results are known."Markets typically respond to a clearer policy outlook, so long-term investors should stay focused on fundamentals and consider adding equity exposure during election-driven pullbacks," the WFII note said.In geopolitical news, the Strait of Hormuz will remain open "with no further naval blockade," and Iran has agreed to the "highest level nuclear inspections," Al Jazeera cited US President Donald Trump as saying. Tehran has no plans to allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities, the Middle East news agency cited Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.Front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent retreated 1.32% to $76.86 per barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate slid 1.3% to $72.93 per barrel.In economic news, the June flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global rose to a 49-month high of 55.7 from 55.1 in May, in contrast with an expected decrease to 54.6 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.Redbook US same-store sales surged 10% from a year earlier in the week ended June 20 after a 9.4% year-over-year increase in the previous week.Most US Treasury yields declined, with the 10-year down 2.8 basis points to 4.48%. The two-year rate dropped 4.7 basis points to 4.18%.In precious metals, gold futures dropped 1% to $4,159.10, and silver futures slumped 5.2% to $62.65.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$MU$QCOM$SNDK