Asia Markets
Tadawul Shares End Wednesday Higher; Saudi Arabia's Inflation Ticks Up in March
The Tadawul All Share Index closed Wednesday higher at 0.90% as investors assessed the latest economic releases in Saudi Arabia.According to the General Authority for Statistics, the kingdom's annual inflation rate edged up year over year to 1.8% in March from 1.7% in February."On a monthly basis, the CPI in March 2026 recorded a relative increase of 0.3% compared to February 2026, as the prices of the food and beverage division increased by 0.5% driven by a 0.5% increase in the food group," the statistics agency said in its report. "On the other hand, the prices of the transport division decreased by 0.2% The prices of education, health, and tobacco services remained stable, and there was no significant relative change in March 2026."The country's wholesale prices also increased 3.3% year over year in March after a 3.5% rise in the prior month. Meanwhile, the producer price index grew 1% in February following a 0.4% uptick in January.In other news, the International Monetary Fund released its latest World Economic Outlook, expecting Saudi Arabia's real gross domestic product to increase 3.1%, 1.4 percentage points lower than its previous forecast.On the corporate front, Gas Arabian Services (SASE:4146) closed 0.21% higher as its Gas Arabian Metal Tech Factory unit signed a binding deal to design, engineer, and produce oil and gas systems with the UK's Oil & Gas Systems Ltd.
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