There's a burgeoning bull case for Saudi Arabia stocks. The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF is up more than 8% year to date and almost 20% over a three-year period. By comparison, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has climbed just 4% in 2023 and 7% in the last three years. The Tadawul All Share Index, the country's benchmark index, is also outpacing the EEM, up 5% year to date.
's Global Research division wrote in a note earlier this year that it sees Saudi as "the best way to express a positive oil view." However, the Saudi market is heavily dominated by financial sector stocks, particularly relative to other markets. The MSCI Saudi Arabia Index is composed of almost 45% in financials, followed by 22.1% in materials, mostly consisting of petrochemicals groups. This diversification is only expected to grow.
's Frontier Equity fund. "That's why Saudi stands out — it's basically the size and the pace of reforms that they've embarked on." More foreign investment The kingdom's Vision 2030 economic blueprint aims to raise foreign direct investment contributions to 5.7% by 2030 from 0.7% currently . Accordingly, a large number of IPOs have begun to come to the market, many of which are from underrepresented sectors, said Sidani.
's Sidani said as a longtime investor in the region, he has seen "a very good track record" on behalf of the government and companies in setting improved corporate governance structure as it opens up to foreign investors. He added that the government has been "very transparent" in pushing companies to report their ESG metrics similar to other large emerging markets. Valuation is another area of concern for some investors.
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Source: CNBC - 🏆 12. / 72 Read more »