Tadawul Shares Close Higher After Week-long Eid Holidays; Senaat Unit Plans Main Market Listing
The Tadawul All Share Index closed 0.29% in the green on Sunday as investors assessed a potential new listing, among other corporate announcements.Saudi Industrial Development Co. (SASE:2130), d/b/a SIDC, gained the most at 9.98% during the session, which resumed after a week-long hiatus for Eid.Gulf Insulation Group, a unit of Advanced Building Industries (SASE:2240), d/b/a Senaat, filed an application with the Saudi Exchange to list its shares on the main market, sending the Saudi builder's stock up 2.49% at closing.Arabian Pipes Co. (SASE:2200) entered into a 62 million-Saudi-riyal contract with Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (SASE:2222), d/b/a Saudi Aramco, to produce and deliver steel pipes to the oil giant for 10 months. The steel tube manufacturer's shares rose 2.32%, while Aramco's shares fell 1.29%.In broader news, Saudi Arabia may reduce oil prices for Asian buyers again in July as the potential for a US-Iran deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz weakens demand, Reuters reported, citing a survey of unidentified industry sources. The July official selling price for flagship Arab Light crude could decline to a premium of $7.50 to $12.50 per barrel above the average Dubai and Oman quotes, $3 to $8 a barrel below the June OSP.At the same time, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on May 30 that the administration is prepared to resume attacks on Iran if Washington and Tehran can not enter an agreement. At the Asian forum for defense leaders Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth added the US is "more than capable," with stockpiles "both there and around the globe.""The Middle East has been subject to heightened uncertainty and disruption since end-February, due largely to the Iran war," Fitch Ratings said. "There have been no Middle East issuer downgrades since end-February, but Fitch has placed several ratings on Rating Watch Negative and revised some Outlooks to Negative from Stable, or to Stable from Positive. These actions point to the persistence of significant risks around the war that, if crystallised, could lead to broader rating downgrades."
