Below courtesy of brokerdealer.com blog update
Based on recent developments, global investors are now slated to drill for stakes in Saudi Bourse offerings thanks to yesterday’s announcement from ETF behemoth BlackRock, coupled with the next year’s scheduled opening of markets to foreign investors, whose appetite for stakes in Middle East companies is expected to surpass demand for oil, currently the country’s primary export.
Excerpts below courtesy of Bloomberg LP reporting by Arif Sharif
BlackRock Inc. (BLK) plans to start an exchange-traded fund for Saudi Arabian shares as the biggest Arab bourse prepares to open its market to foreigners. The world’s largest money manager has sought approval for its iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia Capped ETF from the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, according to a filing posted on the SEC’s website. The fund will seek to track the results of an MSCI provisional Saudi Arabia index, according to the filing.
“The underlying index is designed to measure the potential equity market in Saudi Arabia, should the market open up to foreign investors,” the filing said. The index “may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies and components primarily include financials, materials and telecommunications companies,” it said.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest exporter of crude oil, is preparing to open its $526 billion stock exchange to foreign investors next year. Foreigners currently can’t buy Saudi-listed shares directly, accessing the market through equity swaps and exchange-traded funds instead.
The full story from Bloomberg LP is here