The Saudi economy maintains a positive outlook, enhancing the investment case for the Saudi stock benchmark Tadawul All Share Index (TASI), NCB Capital said in the updated version of its annual Saudi Factbook. "Strong GDP growth expected in 2012 is combined with low debt levels, strong reserves and continued government infrastructure spending, making the Saudi economy resilient to any global slowdown," said Farouk Miah, Head of Equity Research at NCB Capital, on the launch of the 4th edition of the Saudi Factbook. "Despite the good market performance in 1Q12, the TASI remains at a discount to historic valuations with good earnings growth supporting upside potential of the market." Due to strong growth from the domestically focused and defensive sectors such as cement, telecoms, retail and banks, coupled with high absolute profits from the petrochemical sector, NCB Capital believes profitability for the listed companies should exceed SR100 billion for the first time in 2012. It expects net income of the listed companies to grow by 18 percent YoY in 2012 to SR112 billion. The listed Saudi banking sector, accounting for 29 percent of the free float weight of the TASI, is expected to record YoY profit growth of 10 percent, equivalent to net income of SR28 billion. NCB Capital believes the Saudi market is well positioned to grow both in the short and medium-to-long term. "The TASI is currently trading at 15.2x trailing P/E, below its historic average of 17.5x and the 20.0x and above valuation for similar frontier and emerging markets. This compelling valuation coupled with the good profit growth expectations for the market and limited correlation with other "mainstream" emerging market economies, we believe, leads to a compelling investment case for the TASI," he further said. Through a combination of higher than expected income from petrochemical sales, continued infrastructure spending and a buoyant domestic economy, GDP expanded by 6.8 percent in 2011, the fastest rate in eight years. Going forward, the economic outlook remains encouraging, even though growth may see some moderation in 2012 due to a reduction in government spending and oil prices retreating somewhat. The IMF expects economic growth to marginally slow down to 6.0 percent in 2012. "With SR270 billion of construction contracts awarded in 2011, more than double the value in 2010 and surpassing the previous high of SR207 billion in 2009, this should support growth in the coming years as these projects are executed. We expect ongoing infrastructure spending by the government to continue to drive the domestic economy in 2012," Miah added. However, the report noted that the continued global economic uncertainty poses a risk to the Saudi Arabian economy. While progress has been made toward resolving the eurozone debt crisis, a permanent solution still remains elusive. Similarly, growth concerns in the US and emerging economies continues to weigh on global sentiment. All these factors have a potential to hold back Saudi Arabia's growth momentum with lower oil demand and prices the key initial trigger.
