Muscat – Total trading value on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) surged by more than 700% year-on-year to RO3.5bn in the first quarter of this year, compared with RO434.1mn in the same period last year and RO2.6bn in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The sharp rise reflected stronger liquidity from both institutional and retail investors, supported by improving national economic indicators, higher profits reported by listed companies, and improved financial performance. The momentum was also backed by dividend distributions and announcements of new projects by several firms.

Trading activity on the exchange gathered pace through the quarter, with monthly turnover reaching RO836.8mn in January, RO1.2947bn in February, and RO1.4264bn in March.

The total number of transactions executed during the first quarter of 2026 rose sharply by 488% to around 335,000, compared with 57,000 transactions in the same period of 2025.

The MSX main index recorded three milestone highs during the quarter. It crossed 6,000 points on January 5, reached 7,000 points on February 11, and 8,000 points on March 29. It ended the quarter at 8,168 points, gaining more than 2,300 points over the three-month period.

Non-Omani ownership in listed companies stood at 14.2% at the end of March. Foreign investors’ purchases during the quarter totalled RO418.7mn, representing 11.7% of overall trading value, while sales amounted to RO395.2mn, or 11.1%.

Sohar International Bank was the most actively traded company in terms of value, recording transactions worth RO656.3mn. It was followed by Bank Muscat with RO575.8mn, OQ Exploration and Production with RO522.5mn, OQ Base Industries with RO472.4mn, and Omantel with RO333.3mn.

In the bond and sukuk market, trading value reached RO31.3mn in the first quarter. This included RO11.2mn in the sixth sovereign sukuk issue, RO8.1mn in the third sovereign sukuk issue, and RO4.8mn in Sohar International Bank’s unsecured subordinated perpetual bonds. The total number of transactions in the fixed income market stood at 749.