The index rose by 55 points, even as the main index declined by 18 points, closing at 4,603 points. Meanwhile, the financial sector index fell by 32 points, the services sector index decreased by 24 points, and the Sharia index dropped by 8 points.
Despite the broader market downturn, industrial companies performed well, with 37 securities experiencing declines, compared to 21 securities that saw price increases.
The building materials industry share surged by 36 percent, closing at 67 baisas. Other top performers included Al Anwar Ceramic Tiles, which rose by 10 percent to 107 baisas, and Gulf Engineering and Contracting, which climbed 6.7 percent to close at 79 baisas. Gulf Mushroom Products and Al Maha Ceramics shares also saw increases of 2.5 percent and 2.3 percent, closing at 245 baisas and 130 baisas, respectively.
The decline in stock prices last week was reflected in the overall market value of the Muscat Stock Exchange, which dropped to RO 27.8 billion by the end of Thursday’s trading, a loss of about RO 290 million for the week.
Trading volume also saw an increase, with the number of executed transactions rising to 4,898, compared to 4,289 in the previous week. However, the total trading value remained at RO 16.9 million, consistent with the previous week’s level.
OQ Exploration and Production led the market in terms of trading value, with transactions worth RO 3.1 million, accounting for 18.1 percent of total trading value. Bank Muscat followed in second place with RO 2.5 million, while OQ Base Industries ranked third, with a trading value of RO 2.2 million, representing 13 percent of the total.
In terms of the biggest gainers, the building materials industry, Majan Glass, Oman Finance Free Bonds, Issue 68 of Government Development Bonds, and Al Anwar Ceramic Tiles led the pack. On the other hand, Oman Chrome experienced the largest decline, falling 14.8 percent to RO 3.150. Oman Investment and Finance dropped by 11.5 percent, closing at 84 baisas, and Salalah Port Services saw a 10 percent decrease, closing at 252 baisas.
Source:https://www.thearabianstories.com/2025/01/25/industrial-sector-records-positive-performance-at-muscat-stock-exchange/