RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s main index, TASI, ended the trading session higher on Tuesday, as investors braced for more earnings announcements and sentiment heightened. TASI added 0.2 percent to reach 12,293 points after crossing the 12,300 level earlier today, while the parallel market was flat at 25,558 points. Oil giant Aramco slipped by 0.3 percent. In the financial sector, the Kingdom’s largest valued bank, Al Rajhi Bank, edged 0.3 percent lower. Its biggest lender, the Saudi National Bank, rose over 1 percent to hit a record closing high of SR74.9 ($20). Alinma Bank dropped by 1.34 percent, amid trading of over 18.1 million shares. Shares in chemical maker SABIC retreated by 0.5 percent. The company will release its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2021 next Thursday, Feb. 3. Cable manufacturer United Wire Factories Co., which had earlier posted a 25 percent drop in its 2021 profits, saw a 0.6 percent rise in its share price. This was in line with gains by parent company Maadaniyah, formally known as National Metal Manufacturing and Casting Co., up 1.8 percent after reducing accumulated losses to 8.3 percent of capital. Shares in Savola Group, a major food retailer in Saudi Arabia, were down 2.2 percent, driven by a 75.6 percent decline in 2021 profits. Saudi Industrial Export Co. topped the gainers, up 6 percent, while Nama Chemicals Co. was the highest decliner, down 3.23 percent. In energy trading, Brent crude was down to $88.7 per barrel. US benchmark WTI crude oil reached $87.6 per barrel as of 3:37 p.m. Saudi time.