Foreign investments rise to 5.21% in week ending Aug. 22

Non-founding foreign investors – namely swap holders, residents and qualified foreign investors (QFIs) – increased their ownership in the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) to 5.21 percent in the week ending Aug. 22, from 5.11 percent in the previous week, on net purchases worth SAR 5.443 billion, market data show.

Non-founding foreign ownership continued to hit record levels with these figures, ahead of the second tranche inclusion in MSCI as an emerging market this week.

Non-founding foreign investors don’t include strategic partners.

GCC investors' ownership in the Saudi market declined for the week to 1.92 percent, compared to 1.94 percent in the previous week.

According to data compiled by Argaam, GCC investors' ownership saw a gradual decrease in 2017 to 2.40 percent in April, ahead of dropping to 2.06 percent in average last year. 

Foreign investors’ ownership, including strategic partners, hit an all-time high of 7.92 percent, up 0.06 percent from the previous week. 

Founding foreign investors accounted for 2.71 percent of the total foreign ownership in the Saudi market for the week ending Aug. 22.