RIYADH: The companies listed on Saudi Arabia’s primary stock market rose 6 percent to 230 in the third quarter compared to 217 in the year-ago period, official data showed. According to the Capital Market Authority, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu listed 67 firms in the third quarter compared to 38 in the same period last year, a 76 percent surge. In the fourth quarter, the CMA approved the listing of four companies on Nomu. Additionally, five requests for going public are still pending in Tadawul All Share Index and 41 in the parallel market. Regarding ownership values in the primary stock market, the value of qualified foreign investors’ ownership reached SR290.07 billion ($77.37 billion) in the third quarter compared to SR280.24 billion in the same period last year, showing about 3.5 percent annual growth. In terms of investor classification based on investment behavior, institutional investors’ ownership in the primary market reached 96.5 percent compared to 96.27 percent in 2022. The mutual funds sector achieved a record, reaching 1,209 listings in the third quarter compared to 890 funds in the same period last year. The report further disclosed that public and private funds in the third quarter reached 283 and 926, respectively. The public and private funds listed in the same period last year were 253 and 637, respectively. The participants in public and private funds exceeded 1 million for the first time in the history of the financial market, reaching over 1.12 million in the third quarter, compared to 677,400 during the same period of the previous year, showing 66 percent growth. The statistical bulletin for the third quarter also found that most participants in public and private funds were engaged in the property sector, with real estate investment funds accounting for 55 percent of the total pie. The bulletin collated extensive data from the Saudi financial market, including information on initial public offerings, stocks, debt instruments and investment funds. CMA usually gathers this data through financial market institutions, listed companies and authorized financial technology firms.