Tadawul Shares Gain; Saudi's Q3 Unemployment Rate Rises QoQ

08:10 AM EST, 12/29/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The Tadawul All Share Index closed Monday trading at 0.70% higher as investors assessed Saudi Arabia's latest job figures for the third quarter. According to the General Authority for Statistics, the country's unemployment rate was 3.4% for the third quarter, higher than the 3.2% in the previous quarter and lower than the 3.7% figure a year ago. "The Saudi unemployment rate in Q3 of 2025 reached 7.5%, showing a 0.7 percentage points increase compared to Q2 of 2025, and a yearly decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared to Q3 of 2024. On the other hand, the results indicated a decrease in the employment-to-population ratio for Saudis by 0.6 percentage points compared to Q2 of 2025, reaching 45.3%, and decreased by 2.1 percentage points compared to Q3 of 2024," the report said. In other news, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump will meet today to discuss ceasefire talks with Hamas in Gaza, Palestine, and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran. Back at home, Saudi Lime Industries (SASE:9566) secured Shariah-compliant credit facilities worth 25 million Saudi riyals. The funding will be used for working capital. Shares of the lime and limestone products company gained 0.25% at closing. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (SASE:1211), d/b/a Ma'aden, entered a deal with Midana Exploration, or Hancock, to create a mineral exploration and development joint venture in the kingdom. The mining company's shares closed 0.24% higher.