RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange wrapped up a positive session on Wednesday with its main index hitting its highest in over a decade, as investor sentiment was lifted despite COVID-19 peak. The Kingdom recorded the highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic, standing at 5,362. TASI rose 1 percent to settle at 11,957 points – the nearest to the record high it hit in 2006. The parallel Nomu market also closed higher, up 0.3 percent to 26,229 points. Tadawul’s gains were in line with fellow GCC bourses, led by Abu Dhabi’s FTSE ADX General Index which was up 1.5 percent. Saudi Arabia’s TASI came in second place. Stock indexes of Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait followed, all up 0.7-0.9 percent. Dubai’s DFMGI ended flat, while Bahrain’s BAX edged down by 0.1 percent. Elsewhere in the Middle East, the Egyptian index EGX30 recouped previous-day losses, up 0.5 percent. In energy trading, Brent crude settled at $84.4 per barrel, and US WTI crude oil reached $82.3 per barrel as of 8:23 a.m. Saudi time. Stock news International Co. for Water and Projects, or ACWA Power, has started operation of a water desalination plant in Rabigh 3 IWP, which is 70-percent owned by ACWA Power AlMarai Co. has completed the full acquisition of Bakemart UAE and Bakemart Bahrain at a value of SR95.4 million ($25.5 million) Saudi oil giant Aramco is to acquire a 30-percent stake in Poland’s largest refiner, PKN Orlen The Saudi National Bank, or SNB, has completed the offer of $750 million worth of Shariah-compliant bonds, namely Sukuk, to qualified investors Calendar Jan. 13, 2022 Last day to subscribe to Allied Cooperative Insurance Group’s rights issue Batic Investments and Logistics Co. will start compensating rights issue owners who did not exercise their subscription rights Jan. 17, 2022 End of East Pipes Integrated Co.’s initial public offering book-building process