Muscat – As local and foreign investors’ confidence in Oman’s economic strength and investment appeal continues to grow, the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) has reached its highest level in a decade, a milestone that coincides with the sultanate’s celebration of the Accession Day of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
The MSX main index closed 0.62% higher at 6,164 points on Sunday, its highest level since August 2015. After recording the biggest gain among GCC markets in 2025, rising by more than 28%, the MSX index has already advanced by nearly 5% in the first 11 days of 2026.
The recent surge was driven by increased buying from local investment funds and institutions, amid expectations of further improvements in the performance and profitability of publicly listed companies.
Trading on the Muscat Stock Exchange last week reflected a rise in investor confidence at the start of 2026, as investors awaited the release of preliminary financial results from listed companies. The strong market performance underscores the growing optimism surrounding the country’s economic direction and capital market reforms under His Majesty’s leadership.
On January 5, the MSX index broke the 6,000-point barrier for the first time in nine years, reaching its highest level since May 2016. It continued its upward trend in the following days, closing the week at 6,126 points, its best level in more than 10 years.
The MSX index more than doubled its weekly gains, rising by 230 points, driven by strong performances across investment, banking, industrial and service companies, which lifted sector indices. The financial sector index recorded the highest gains, rising 588 points to close at 10,572 points. The industrial sector index increased by 284 points, the services sector index rose by 76 points, and the Sharia-compliant index climbed 27 points to close at 556 points.
During the last week, 61 securities rose in price, while 14 declined and 15 remained unchanged.
Market capitalisation of securities listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange increased by RO815.2mn last week, closing Thursday’s trading at RO32.93bn. The rise was driven by higher share prices and several new listings in the bond, sukuk and closed-end market. Last week, the MSX listed the tenth issue of sovereign sukuk, valued at RO200mn.
Trading value surged by 65% last week to exceed RO266mn, compared with RO160.5mn in the previous week. The number of executed transactions also rose by 22%, from 21,834 to 26,686.
The MSX’s strong market performance since mid-2025 has been accompanied by a sharp revival in trading activity, signalling a significant improvement in market depth and participation. Total value traded on the MSX jumped by 325.9% to RO5bn in 2025, compared with RO1.2bn in 2024, while trading volumes surged by 291.6% to 25.1bn shares from 6.4bn a year earlier.
Average daily trading value exceeded RO20mn in 2025, reflecting an expanding investor base and the increasingly effective role of market makers and liquidity providers.
