Kuwait Stock Exchange Loses 940 Million Dinars in a Week... 'Main' Index Drops 3.1%

The Kuwait Stock Exchange incurred capital losses estimated at around 940 million dinars during the week ending with today’s session on October 15, amid rising selling pressure in the final sessions of the week, influenced by caution triggered by geopolitical developments, alongside investors awaiting corporate earnings announcements for the nine-month period.

The market’s capitalization declined from approximately 51.69 billion dinars at the end of the previous week to about 50.76 billion dinars by the end of the current week, a drop of nearly 1.8%.

These losses coincided with declines across all market indices on a weekly basis. The Main Market Index closed at 8,475.93 points, down from 8,632.71 points in the previous week, losing approximately 156.8 points, or 1.82%.

The First Market faced greater pressure, with its index falling from 8,860.03 points to 8,587.96 points, a loss of 272.07 points, or about 3.07%. Meanwhile, the Main Market Index dropped from 9,032.36 to 8,891.97 points, losing 140.39 points, equivalent to approximately 1.55%.

These movements indicate a clear shift compared to the previous period, when shares of the Main Market, particularly mid-cap and small-cap stocks, accounted for a significant portion of activity and gains. During the current week, the Main Market became the most exposed to profit-taking and a decline in risk appetite.

In terms of trading activity, total liquidity during the week amounted to approximately 346.79 million dinars, down from 362.24 million in the previous week, a decrease of about 15.4 million dinars, or 4.3%.

Conversely, trading volumes rose slightly to approximately 1.315 billion shares, compared to 1.302 billion shares in the previous week, an increase of about 1%. The number of trades also increased from 101.33 thousand to 102.68 thousand.

The divergence between declining traded value and rising share and trade volumes reflects increased activity in lower-priced shares, alongside the pressure affecting a broad segment of Main Market stocks.

Notably, trading levels in the First Market remained resilient despite the decline in its index. The traded value in the First Market rose to approximately 219.5 million dinars, compared to 217.7 million in the previous week, a modest increase of about 0.8%.

As a result, the First Market accounted for approximately 63% of the total stock exchange liquidity during the week, while trading in the Main Market declined to about 127.3 million dinars, down from 144.5 million in the previous week, a drop of nearly 12%.

These figures suggest that caution did not lead to an equal withdrawal of liquidity from all market segments. Trading remained more concentrated in leading stocks, while funds directed toward the Main Market declined in tandem with its index, which fell by more than 3%.

At the close of the week’s trading, the Kuwait Stock Exchange continued its decline during today’s Thursday session. The Main Market Index fell 0.68% to 8,475.93 points, the First Market lost 0.60% to close at 8,891.97 points, and the Main Market Index dropped 1.04% to 8,587.96 points. The “Main 50” index recorded the largest loss, falling 2.10% to 9,556.75 points.

Session liquidity rose to 83.61 million dinars, through the trading of 315.19 million shares across 27.67 thousand trades. Meanwhile, capitalization lost approximately 350 million dinars during the session, stabilizing near 50.75 billion dinars.

“Bait Almal” led trading by value with approximately 15.74 million dinars, followed by “Gulf B” with 7.33 million dinars, and then “Al Watani” with 5.32 million dinars.

At the sectoral level, red dominated performance, with ten sectors declining, two rising, and benefits remaining stable. The healthcare sector experienced the largest decline at 5.84%, followed by technology at 3.44%, while insurance rose by 4.36% and communications by 0.11%.