Muscat: The MSX reported a 35.8% increase compared to the same period last year when the figure stood at RO 608.1 million. This significant growth reflects rising investor confidence, boosted by positive corporate developments and the distribution of dividends.

Investor sentiment has been bolstered by an upswing in share prices and key announcements from public joint-stock companies. These factors have led to optimism for further financial improvements across the market, with companies attracting fresh investment.

The MSX recorded substantial growth across multiple indicators. The volume of traded securities more than doubled, rising from 2.2 billion to 4.7 billion, while the number of executed transactions surged from 109,000 to over 159,000. Market value also climbed by over RO 1 billion, reaching RO 24.5 billion at the end of September, up by 4.3% from last year.

Non-Omani ownership of listed shares accounted for 19.1% as of September’s close. July marked the highest monthly trading value at RO 152.4 million, while June saw the lowest with RO 42 million.

Abraj Energy Services led trading with RO 130.6 million in value, followed by Bank Sohar International at RO 109.9 million and Bank Muscat at RO 75.4 million. The services sector took the lion’s share of total trading, accounting for 42.6% with RO 352.5 million.

Sectoral indices showed mixed performance. The financial, services, and industrial sectors all recorded gains, while the Sharia index declined slightly. The main MSX index rose by 196 points, closing at 4,710 points by the end of September.

In the bonds and sukuk market, RO 68.3 million worth of transactions were recorded, representing 8.2% of total trading value. Bank Muscat’s perpetual Tier 1 bonds topped the trading list in this category, with RO 16.5 million in transactions.