Asia Markets
Tadawul Shares End Week Subdued; Saudi Arabia's Industrial Production Rises in February
The Tadawul All Share Index closed Thursday muted at 0.04% in the green as investors assessed the latest Saudi Arabian industrial production volumes and business optimism indicator.Official preliminary data from Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics showed that the industrial production index rose 8.9% year over year in February. Month over month, industrial production edged down 0.2%."The index of oil activities in February 2026 increased by 11.5% compared to the same month of the previous year. The index of non-oil activities increased by 2.4%. Based on the month-on-month trend, the index for oil activities decreased by 0.1%, and the index of non-oil activities decreased by 0.4%," the statistics agency added.Meanwhile, the kingdom's business confidence index in March came in at 52.1 points, down from 60.7 in February. The separate confidence indices for the industry, construction and services all fell during the period but remained above 50 points.Zooming out, Israel launched attacks targeting Lebanon's Hezbollah. The strikes sparked concerns about the US-Iran ceasefire breaking down, with Iran warning that a deal would not be reached if Israel continued to bomb Lebanon.Back at home and on the corporate front, International Human Resources Co. (SASE:9545) secured a project to deliver human resources services to Elm Co. (SASE:7203) during the Hajj season. Shares of the human resources consulting company ticked up 3.02%, while the digital services company closed 1.21% lower.
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