44 listed companies in Saudi Arabia score 100pc gains in a year
Around 44 companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) posted their gains exceeding 100 percent at the end of their trading Wednesday, while compared to the lowest record registered during a whole year. The benchmark Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) fell 0.3 percent or 28 points to close at 11.129 points, up by 0.1 percent, with a total value of about SR5.1 billion. The closing auction contributed to the rise of the index by 20 points, and the shares of 87 companies rose, while the shares of 101 fell. The number of traded shares reached more than 135 million, which were shared by more than 235,000 deals.
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FTSE 100 turns green
The FTSE 100 turned green in mid-morning and was up 11 points to 7,136. Most UK department stores have disappeared in the past five years, following the demise of BHS. Of the 467 stores owned by the country’s largest chains, including Debenhams and House of Fraser, only 79 are left, meaning 83 percent are gone. Over two-thirds of these shops are still vacant, according to data compiled by commercial property information firm CoStar Group and shared by the BBC. “The data undoubtedly highlights the acceleration of change in the retail sector in recent years, which the pandemic has only exacerbated,” said CoStar Group’s head of analytics, Mark Stansfield. “We are increasingly seeing forward-thinking real estate owners getting ahead of the problem and reshaping what are key assets in our town centres to provide a focal point for regeneration.”
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US S&P 500, Nasdaq retreats from record highs
The US stocks wobbled on Thursday, 26 August 2021, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both retreating from record highs, as investors stayed quite wary of making significant moves amid fear of escalating geopolitical tensions after explosions in Afghanistan with reports of US military and Afghan civilian casualties. At the close of trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index declined 192.38 points, or 0.54 percent, to 35,213.12. The S&P 500 index dropped 26.19 points, or 0.58 percent, to 4,470. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down 96.05 points, or 0.64 percent, to 14,945.81. Total 10 of 11 S&P500 sectors declined, while remaining sector closed up. Energy (down 1.5 percent) sector was worst performer as crude oil fell, followed by consumer discretionary (down 0.73 percent), communication services (down 0.73 percent), materials (down 0.68 percent), and information technology (down 0.62 percent) sectors. Total volume turnover on U. S. exchanges was 7.07 billion shares, down from previous session volume of 7.35 billion shares. In the NYSE exchange, 838 issues advanced, 2454 issues declined, and 146 issues closed unchanged. In the NASDAQ, 1517 issues advanced, 2829 issues declined, and 206 issues unchanged.
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Sensex up almost 200 pts
Sensex was at 56,142.33, up 193.23 points, or 0.35 percent, while Nifty was at 16,703.45, up 66.55 points, or 0.40 percent at 2:32 pm. All sectors in green Indian indices gained momentum after a muted start on Friday. Most Asian stocks dipped Friday amid hawkish comments from some Federal Reserve officials ahead of the Jackson Hole symposium and as traders assessed geopolitical tension stemming from Afghanistan. Shares of SpiceJet on Friday jumped over 4 percent after aviation regulator DGCA lifted the ban on Boeing 737 Max planes’ commercial flight operations after almost two-and-half years. The stock gained 4.36 percent to -74.15 on the BSE. India’s aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday lifted the ban on Boeing 737 Max planes’ commercial flight operations after almost two-and-half years.
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Tokyo shares open lower ahead of powell speech
Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index opened lower on Friday as investors awaited an address by Fed Chair Jerome Powell for clues about his plans on scaling back the central bank’s stimulus programme. The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.73 percent, or 202.23 points, to 27,540.06 in early trade, and the broader Topix index slipped 0.41 percent, or 7.90 points, to 1,927.45. The dollar stood at 109.98 yen compared with 110.04 yen. Powell is scheduled to deliver a speech at an annual symposium of central bankers at Jackson Hole in the United States. Although he is expected to avoid making a major announcement, investors will analyse his address to gauge the future of the Fed’s emergency financial support programme.
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Taiwan shares open lower
The Taiwan Stock Exchange’s main index opened down 5.86 points at 17,061.10 Friday on turnover of NT$3.22 billion (US$115.12 million).