RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's benchmark Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) surged 2.8 percent or 272.48 points, to 9,907.82 points on Wednesday, registering the highest close since November 2014, with trades amounting to SR16 billion. The jump in the stock market coincides with the launch of a program to strengthen the partnership with the private sector titled "Shareek" or "Partner" by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman on Tuesday. The program aims to enable Saudi companies to access local investments worth SR 5 trillion by the end of 2030. The stock index gained 14 percent, or more than 1,200 points, in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the last quarter of 2020. The total turnover reached SR16.3 billion, while the advance-decline ratio stood at 122:75. The main Saudi stock index achieved the largest gains in 11 months, as the market continued its rise for the fourth consecutive session. The parallel Saudi stock index Nomu rose Tuesday 140.12 points, to close at 24291.91 points, with trades amounting to SR21 million, and the number of traded shares reached 335,000 shares, shared by 770 deals. The circulated liquidity amounted to SR16.32 billion, and the liquidity comes through the circulation of 507.9 million shares, while the transactions executed reached about 565,000. Al-Rajhi Bank led the surge with a jump of 5.1 percent to SR98.8 while blue-chip SABIC gained 5.6 percent to SR117.40 per share, the highest since June 2019. Oil giant Saudi Aramco shares climbed 2.7 percent to SR36. STC shares rose about 5 percent to reach SR126.8 per share, which is the highest since mid-2006, and National Commercial Bank and Samba shares also rose by 5.1 and 4.6 percent respectively, to reach their highest levels since mid-2019. SABB Takaful was the top gainer, rising 9.9 percent to SR 36.10 while Al-Ahly Takaful shares rose 7.2 percent while Allied Cooperative Insurance Group (ACIG) shares rose 6 percent. This was offset by a decline in the shares of 75 companies, led by the shares of Theeb by about 5.4 percent, followed by the shares of Raydan and Al-Jouf Cement with declines of 3 and 2.5%.
