QFIs trading in TASI falls sharply last week

QFIs trading in TASI slipped last week amid global holiday season

The value of trades executed by the qualified foreign investors (QFIs) in the Saudi market declined sharply during the past week, as they purchased around SAR 4.45 billion worth of shares.

In comparison, QFI buys stood at SAR 8.35 billion in the previous week.

Total sells last week fell to approximately SAR 3.88 billion, versus SAR 8.43 billion a week earlier.

Excluding the data for the week ended April 3, 2025 – which reflects trading transactions on just one business day (Thursday, April 3) due to the Eid Al-Fitr holiday – foreign investors’ trading last week was the lowest in a year.

This decline came during a period that coincided with Christmas and New Year holidays in many countries worldwide.

This would explain the subdued trading activity seen on the Saudi market in Dec. 25 session, when total turnover stood at around SAR 1.66 billion—the lowest level since 2019—as most global markets were closed for Christmas.

Year to date, total purchases by qualified foreign investors reached approximately SAR 427.04 billion, while total sells amounted to around SAR 403.3 billion, resulting in net purchases of about SAR 23.74 billion. This marks the highest annual net inflows since 2022, when net purchases stood at SAR 43.5 billion.

On a weekly basis since the start of the year, QFIs recorded net buys in 37 weeks and net sells in 15 weeks, out of 52 weeks.