Muscat: Local investment institutions poured RO 21.3 million into the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) last week, making up 78.6 per cent of the total trading value of RO 27.1 million. This marked an impressive 86 per cent increase from the previous week’s trading volume of RO 14.5 million.

The Oman Real Estate Investment Fund was the focal point of this activity, with trades amounting to RO 12.3 million, representing 45.3 per cent of the total trading value. OQ Gas Networks followed with trades worth RO 2.8 million, and the National Bank saw RO 1.6 million in trades, making up 5.9 per cent of the week’s total trading value.

In its first-quarter report, the Oman Fund highlighted that its assets remained steady at RO 20.8 million over the past year. The Fund emphasized that its recent strategic reorganization did not impact rental income or operational efficiency, aligning with its long-term growth objectives in Oman’s commercial real estate market.

Additionally, the Fund pointed out the improved credit rating of Oman by various international agencies, which is expected to boost investor confidence, reduce borrowing costs, and enhance liquidity.

The MSX indices also reflected positive trends last week. The main index rose by 22 points to 4792, recovering from a previous decline. Sector indices showed mixed results: the financial sector increased by 28 points, the services sector by 5 points, and the Sharia index by 2 points, while the industrial sector dipped by 17 points due to declines in key industrial stocks. However, gains in shares of companies like A’Saffa Foods and Oman Cement helped limit further losses in the industrial index.

Overall, the market value of MSX-listed securities climbed to 24.409 billion riyals, with weekly gains exceeding 14 million riyals. The week saw 20 securities increase in price, 28 decrease, and 24 remain unchanged. National Aluminum Products led the gains with an 8 per cent rise, while Al Hassan Engineering saw the largest drop at 16.6 per cent.