-- Saudi Exchange-traded shares closed higher as investors turned their attention to the latest earnings by Saudi Arabian companies and the US Federal Reserve's highly anticipated interest rate decision on Wednesday.
At the close of Monday trading, the Tadawul All Share Index closed in the green at 0.42%. Both Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (SASE:2380), d/b/a Petro Rabigh, and Saudi Kayan Petrochemical (SASE:2350) led the charge at 9.96% at closing.
The Fed is widely expected to keep the interest rates steady at its 3.50% to 3.75% range, with market watchers expecting to see clues for the group's next rate and policy moves.
"The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to keep policy steady next week, so our focus will be on any sign that the committee's assessment of the balance of risks has shifted since the mid-March meeting. There won't be updated economic projections to sort through, so any evidence of a change in FOMC members' thinking will come from the policy statement and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference after the meeting," Oxford Economics said in a note.
In other news, Reuters reported, citing sources from Pakistan, that Iran set out a new proposal for its peace talks with the US. The proposal covered guarantees that the US would not start the conflict again, the end of the blockade, among other things.
Back at home, Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff (SASE:2270), d/b/a Sadafco, and Saudi Tadawul Group (SASE:1111) logged lower financial results for the first quarter of 2026. Arabian Cement Co. (SASE:3010), meanwhile, posted a 153.81% surge in its net profit and a 5.08% rise in sales.
Sadafco and Saudi Tadawul Group closed 2.12% and 3.68% lower, while Arabian Cement shares ticked up 3.57%.