The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) has added 10 new companies to its stock index. The companies are: Inma Bank, Abdullah Al-Othaim Markets Company, Halawani Brothers Company, United Company for Cooperative Insurance, Saudi Reinsurance Company, Arabian Bupa Company for Cooperative Insurance, Basic Chemical Industries Company, Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Astra Industrial Group and Muhammad Al-Mojil Group. Tadawul also announced the updating of free shares (those available for trading) for all companies by the end of the third quarter of this year and their approval in the general index and indices for sectors as of Sunday. Meanwhile, the total amount of traded shares in Tadawul in September 2008 was SR80.20 billion, a 24.5 percent decrease from the previous SR106.23 billion. Saudi nationals comprised 88 percent of selling which amounted to SR70.44 billion, and buying recorded at SR70.79 billion. The percentage share of Saudi companies from the market trades was 2.3 percent for selling at SR1.84 billion and 5.1 percent for buying at SR4.11 billion. Investment funds took 2.4 percent from the market trades which sold SR1.94 billion and 1.3 percent for buying at SR1.05 billion. GCC nationals posted 1.7 percent of the total shares traded selling at SR4.49 billion and 1.9 percent for buying at SR2.62 billion. Arab residents domiciled in Saudi Arabia got 5.6 percent for selling at SR1.37 billion and 3.3 percent for buying at SR1.51 billion. Foreigners residing in Saudi Arabia captured only 0.1 percent from the market, selling at SR119.70 billion and at 0.2 percent for buying at SR120.38 billion. However, Tadawul lost 354.62 points, shedding 4.54 percent over the close of the same period of the previous year. On an YTD basis TASI lost 3580.16 points (32.43 percent). Highest close level for the index during the period was 11,697.01 points on Jan. 12, 2008. Total equity market capitalization at the end of the first nine months reached SR1.45 trillion ($387.05 billion), increasing by 9.14 percent over the same period of the previous year. Total value of shares traded for the first nine months 2008 reached SR1.637 billion ($436.43 billion), a decline of 18.35 percent over the same period. The total number of shares traded reached 43.17 billion shares compared to 46.71 billion shares traded during the 1st nine months of the previous year, decreasing by 7.58 percent. Total number of transactions reached 43.05 million compared to 53.41 million trades year-ago period, a decrease of 19.39 percent. __
