Stock Markets March 9, 2026

Saudi Stocks Close Lower as Key Sectors Drag Tadawul All Share Down 1.60%

Transport, Hotels & Tourism and Media & Publishing sectors lead declines; oil jumps above $100 a barrel

By Sofia Navarro
Saudi Stocks Close Lower as Key Sectors Drag Tadawul All Share Down 1.60%

Saudi Arabia's main stock index, the Tadawul All Share, finished Monday down 1.60% as losses in Transport, Hotels & Tourism and Media & Publishing weighed on the market. While several individual stocks recorded strong gains, a larger number of declines pushed the exchange lower. Crude oil prices rose sharply, while gold futures and currency pairs showed mixed moves.

Key Points

  • Tadawul All Share closed down 1.60%, led by weakness in Transport, Hotels & Tourism and Media & Publishing sectors.
  • Top winners included Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co, Methanol Chemicals Company and Sustained Infrastructure Holding Company.
  • Major losers included MBC Group CJSC, Nayifat Finance Co and United Int Transportation Company; decliners outnumbered advancers 271 to 64.

Saudi Arabia's equity market closed lower on Monday, with the Tadawul All Share ending the session down 1.60% as sector-level declines outpaced gains.

The session's heaviest pressure came from the Transport, Hotels & Tourism and Media & Publishing sectors, which pulled the broader index into negative territory by the final bell.

Among individual performers, Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co (TADAWUL:2380) led the gainers on the index, advancing 9.93% or 0.85 points to finish at 9.41. Methanol Chemicals Company (TADAWUL:2001) posted a 9.92% rise, up 0.72 points to close at 7.98, while Sustained Infrastructure Holding Company SJSC (TADAWUL:2190) climbed 6.66%, adding 1.96 points to end the day at 31.38.

On the downside, MBC Group CJSC (TADAWUL:4072) registered the steepest loss among the index components tracked, sliding 8.49% or 2.48 points to close at 26.72. Nayifat Finance Co (TADAWUL:4081) fell 7.04%, a decrease of 0.80 points to 10.57, and United Int Transportation Company (TADAWUL:4260) declined 6.93% or 2.96 points to finish at 39.74.

Decliners outnumbered advancers by a wide margin on the Saudi exchange, with 271 stocks closing lower, 64 advancing and 11 finishing unchanged.

Notable single-stock moves included Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co (TADAWUL:2380) reaching a 52-week high after its 9.93% gain, while Nayifat Finance Co (TADAWUL:4081) hit an all-time low following its 7.04% drop.

Commodities trading showed a sharp rise in oil prices. Crude oil for April delivery jumped 12.84% or 11.67 to settle at $102.57 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery climbed 12.46% or 11.55 to $104.24 a barrel. By contrast, the April Gold Futures contract slipped 0.85% or 44.06 to trade at $5,114.64 a troy ounce.

In currency and index moves, the euro against the Saudi riyal (EUR/SAR) was down 0.45% at 4.34, while the US dollar against the riyal (USD/SAR) was virtually unchanged, moving 0.02% to 3.75. The US Dollar Index Futures traded 0.30% higher at 99.28.

Separately, promotional material accompanying the session noted that data-driven tools can aid investment decisions. The message emphasized that improved data and AI-supported insights aim to help investors identify opportunities, while not guaranteeing outcomes. The referenced service invites investors to explore potential top investments for 2026 using those tools.

The market picture on Monday therefore combined large individual stock swings with a broad market decline and significant upward pressure on oil prices.

Risks

  • Broad market decline driven by sectoral weakness in Transport, Hotels & Tourism and Media & Publishing - impacts equity valuations across these sectors.
  • Significant drops in individual media and finance stocks indicate company-specific downside risk in Media & Publishing and Financials.
  • Sharp rise in crude oil prices introduces commodity price risk, which can influence costs and revenues for energy-sensitive sectors.

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