RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s main stock index started the trading day slightly higher as earnings announcements continued to kick in and the energy market rose for another day amid concerns over tight supplies. As of 10:30 a.m. Saudi time, TASI was up 0.2 percent to 12,282 points, nearing a 15-year record high, while the parallel market Nomu edged 0.12 percent lower to reach 25,462 points. In energy trading, Brent crude oil rose to over a seven-year peak of $91.3 per barrel, and US benchmark WTI crude oil neared $88 per barrel. The Kingdom’s largest valued bank, Al Rajhi Bank inched up by 0.3 percent, and Alinma Bank was up 1 percent amid trading of almost 2.2 million shares. Oil giant Aramco also recorded slight gains as the trading session kicked off, further contributing to the rise. Shares in Saudi retailers Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair and Arabian Centres were up 1.1 and 0.44 percent, respectively. Both companies had earlier announced that their subsidiary, FAB Labs, will establish a SR55 million ($14.65 million) microfinance unit. Information technology firm Arab Sea Information Systems led the fallers in early trading, down 0.5 percent.