RIYADH: Qatar’s international reserves and foreign currency liquidity climbed 3.51 percent year on year in June to reach 258.88 billion Qatari riyals ($70.9 billion), according to data released by the Qatar Central Bank.

The reserves also edged up 0.29 percent from May, adding 744 million riyals during the month. The increase reflects the resilience of Qatar’s monetary framework amid global economic uncertainty.

Official reserve assets — which make up the core of the central bank’s holdings — rose to 199.65 billion riyals in June, marking a 4.46 percent annual increase and a 0.47 percent rise from the previous month.

The uptick was driven by higher gold reserves, stronger balances with foreign banks, and an improved reserve position with the International Monetary Fund.

Gold holdings rose to 44.5 billion riyals in June, slightly up from 44.3 billion in May. Special Drawing Rights deposits inched up to 5.26 billion riyals, while Qatar’s IMF reserve position grew by 81 million to 5.25 billion riyals.

Foreign bank balances jumped by 1.33 billion riyals to 17.75 billion, although the central bank’s holdings of foreign bonds and treasury bills dipped to 132.14 billion riyals, down 763 million from the month before.

In the wider Gulf region, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reported relatively stable reserve positions.

The Saudi Central Bank posted official reserves of SR1.716 trillion ($457.7 billion) in June, slightly down from SR1.721 trillion in May but up from SR1.647 trillion in April. The total includes SR1.620 trillion in foreign currency reserves and SR81.33 billion in SDRs. The IMF reserve position stood at SR13.28 billion, while gold holdings remained unchanged at SR1.62 billion.

Kuwait’s reserves totaled 14.106 billion dinars ($46 billion) in May, compared to 14.633 billion dinars in April, according to the Central Bank of Kuwait. Foreign currency and deposits abroad accounted for 12.49 billion dinars, with SDR holdings at 1.33 billion. Gold reserves remained steady at 31.7 million dinars.

Qatar’s total international reserves comprise official reserve assets — including foreign bonds, deposits, gold, SDRs, and IMF balances — as well as other liquid foreign currency holdings.

RIYADH: Saudi investors posted record-breaking trading activity on US stock markets during the first quarter of 2025, reaching SR164.3 billion ($43.8 billion) — an annual rise of 164 percent.

According to newly released data from the Kingdom’s Capital Market Authority, the US now accounts for the overwhelming majority of Saudi trading activity in foreign stock markets.

Out of SR166.2 billion in total foreign market trades during the first three months of the year, the North American country represented nearly 99 percent. 

Gulf Cooperation Council markets saw just SR953 million in trades according to the CMA report, while Asian and European markets attracted SR81 million and SR254 million, respectively. Arab markets remained marginal at SR13 million, and other international markets accounted for SR556 million. 

Robust performance by US growth stocks, particularly in the tech sector, have helped make American markets attractive after a somewhat sluggish 2022 and 2023. 

By the first quarter, a group of US tech giants, dubbed the “Magnificent 7,” had delivered impressive earnings and upbeat revenue forecasts, fueling a rally in their share prices according to a May post by WallStreet Horizon. 

This coincided with a perception that the Federal Reserve was nearing the end of its tightening cycle; with the Fed keeping its benchmark rate unchanged around 4.25 percent  to 4.5 percent during the quarter, and investors anticipated potential rate cuts later in 2025. 

Clarity in monetary policy has removed some uncertainty and supported appetite for equities, encouraging Saudi market participants to increase their exposure to US stocks. 

The investor base in the Kingdom has also matured in its understanding of global markets, aided by better technology, research, and regulatory support. This familiarity has reduced barriers to entry for trading abroad. 

Trading activity on the local Saudi market reached SR730.6 billion during the same period, meaning that US equities alone represented nearly 18 percent of all Saudi institutional and individual equity trading across geographies. 

The CMA’s data revealed that Saudi engagement in US equities has more than doubled from its earlier peak of SR85.9 billion in the same period of 2022 and nearly tripled compared to the post-pandemic break observed in the first quarters of 2023 and 2024. 

Saudi Exchange’s recent introduction of Saudi Depositary Receipts, instruments that allow domestic investors to trade foreign shares in riyals, is expected to further strengthen the structural link between local and international capital markets. 

The shift underscores the evolving profile of the Kingdom’s investor base, particularly as more high-net-worth individuals, mutual funds, and institutional asset managers seek diversification outside the GCC. 

While the local market still dominates in absolute volume, the steady increase in foreign exposure, especially to the US, highlights Saudi Arabia’s accelerating financial globalization.