The Saudi Exchange, known as Tadawul, is set to resume full trading operations on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 — the fifth of Shawwal 1447H — following an eight-day break observed for Eid Al-Fitr. The announcement, confirmed by the exchange, marks the return of activity across the main Tadawul All Share Index (TASI), the parallel Nomu market, the debt instruments market, and the derivatives platform.
A Scheduled Closure That Ran Longer Than Usual
The exchange suspended trading at the close of Monday, March 16, giving investors and institutions time to observe the Eid celebrations. With Saudi Arabia officially announcing that Eid Al-Fitr began on Thursday, March 20, markets were offline for eight full trading days. The resumption on March 24 follows the standard post-Eid calendar observed by the Capital Market Authority and comes ahead of the market’s summer trading schedule.
The closure was among the longer Eid breaks in recent years, given the timing of the crescent moon sighting and the subsequent alignment of public and market holidays. Tadawul Group issued its advance notice to investors in February, ensuring that brokerages and institutional participants had ample time to plan their strategies around the extended pause.
What Investors Are Watching on Reopening Day
When the bell rings again on Tuesday morning, analysts will be closely monitoring sentiment across key sectors. Prior to the closure, the TASI index had been trading at approximately 10,290 points, holding relatively steady despite broader global uncertainty. Financial sector stocks, materials companies, and energy heavyweights including Saudi Aramco are all expected to see active sessions as investors respond to news and corporate updates that accumulated over the holiday.
Aramco’s upcoming dividend schedule is among the data points investors are tracking, with the company having previously outlined its distribution policy for the year. Bank stocks and real estate investment trusts are also expected to attract particular attention, given the post-Eid seasonal pickup in economic activity and consumer spending that typically follows the long holiday period.
A Capital Market Growing in Global Stature
The Saudi Exchange has matured considerably over the past decade, growing into one of the largest equity markets in the world with a total market capitalisation exceeding SAR 10 trillion. As Saudi Arabia advances its economic transformation agenda under Vision 2030, the capital market plays a central role in channelling investment into diversified sectors ranging from technology and tourism to healthcare and logistics.
Institutional participation has increased steadily in recent years, driven by TASI’s inclusion in major global indices such as MSCI and FTSE Russell. Foreign investors now hold a meaningful share of equity on the main market, a development that has added depth and liquidity to what was once a largely domestic exchange. Tuesday’s reopening is not simply a calendar event — it is the moment the market reacts to everything that has unfolded during the break: global commodity moves, currency trends, and quarterly updates from listed companies. For the hundreds of thousands of investors who follow the TASI daily, March 24 marks the real start of the post-Eid trading season.
