Most Important News

1. White House Insists US, Iran Still Negotiating as Iran Rejects Ceasefire Proposal;
2. Saudi Crude Exports Shift to Yanbu as Red Sea Loadings Approach 5M Barrels/Day;
3. Arabian Drilling Temporarily Halts Some Offshore Rigs Due to Regional Tensions;

At the close of 25/3/2025, the Tadawul All Shares Index(TASI.SA) increased by 1.19%, closing at 11079.93 points; the Parallel Market Capped Index (NomuC)(NOMUC.SA) rose by 0.26%, closing at 22551.79 points.

As of Wednesday’s close, the S&P 500 index(SPX.US) increased by 0.54%, the NASDAQ(IXIC.US) rose by 0.77%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJI.US) increased by 0.66%.

White House Insists US, Iran Still Negotiating as Iran Rejects Ceasefire Proposal

As the US-Iran military conflict enters its 26th day, diplomatic tensions are rising, and the prospects for a ceasefire remain dim. Iran has clearly rejected the US ceasefire proposal, instead outlining its own conditions and insisting that the war will only end on its own terms and timeline. The White House spokesperson stated that negotiations with Iran are ongoing and productive, while Iran’s foreign minister said that there has only been message exchange through mediators, not direct talks or negotiations.

Saudi Arabia Reroutes Crude Exports via Yanbu as Hormuz Remains Blocked; Red Sea Loadings Near 5 Million Barrels a Day

According to reports on Wednesday (EST), since crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz halted in late February, Saudi Arabia has rapidly shifted its export routes, diverting oil from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu and sharply boosting capacity there. In just over two weeks, Yanbu’s export volume has doubled. Shipping data shows that, over the past five days, crude loadings at Yanbu’s north and south terminals have reached an average of around 4.4 million barrels per day, nearing the 5 million barrel daily target.

KSA Stocks

Tabuk Agricultural Posts SAR 943K Loss on Horizon Food Stake Sale

Tabuk Agricultural Development Co.(6040.SA) sold 314,250 shares of Horizon Food at SAR 35 each, resulting in a total of SAR 10.98 million. The sale caused an accounting loss of SAR 942,750, as the selling price was below the SAR 38 per share book value. The deal boosts company liquidity, with the impact to appear in Q1 2026 financials.

Arabian Drilling Temporarily Halts Some Offshore Rigs Due to Regional Tensions

Arabian Drilling Co.(2381.SA) has temporarily suspended some offshore rigs in the Arabian Gulf as a precaution amid regional tensions. Its 39 land rigs remain fully operational. The company expects the impact to be minimal and operations to resume quickly once conditions stabilize.

USA Stocks

Google Unveils New AI Model That Generates Full 3-Minute Songs

Alphabet Inc. Class C(GOOG.US) on Wednesday launched the Lyria 3 Pro music generation model, which embeds SynthID watermarks into all audio to mark it as AI-generated. The tool now creates up to 3-minute tracks per request—up from 30 seconds—and supports full song structures, including intro, verse, and chorus. The new model is available on Gemini Advanced, Google Vids, ProducerAI, and Vertex AI platforms.

Meta Launches New Layoffs Affecting Sales and Reality Labs

Meta Platforms(META.US) has started a new round of layoffs impacting several divisions, including sales, recruitment, and hardware unit Reality Labs. Sources say hundreds of employees across the US and other markets are affected. Some staff may be offered new roles or internal transfers. Reality Labs, which develops AI glasses and VR headsets, already showed signs of restructuring before the layoffs.