Saudi Arabian shares fell for the first day in three, driven by banks such as Islamic lender Alinma Bank, which reported a first-quarter loss. Saudi Arabia's Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) declined 0.13 percent to 6,882.01 on Saturday, the lowest in a week. Alinma reported a first-quarter loss of SR75 million, from a profit a year ago. The shares declined for a fifth day, shedding 1.2 percent to SR12.45. The petrochemical index was down 0.87 percent to 6,370.09 points. Shares in Savola Group dropped 1.33 percent after it announces the resignation of it chief executive officer. Al-Rajhi Bank, the biggest bank in the Kingdom by market value, fell 0.9 percent to SR84, the lowest in 10 days. The second biggest lender, Samba Financial Group, had its biggest drop since March 29, losing 1.2 percent SR60.25. “There is a possibility that future earnings growth will be impacted because of the lack of balance sheet growth or loan growth. There is some negative sentiment on banks,” an equity analyst said.
