Index value of the Saudi Tadawul Market (May 2010)

Think Tank Average prediction: 7,666

The Think Tank panelists were more optimistic in their reading of Saudi Arabia’s bourse’s fortunes than Dubai’s – their confidence reflected in a prediction considerably higher than the 6,121 finishing price for 2009.

Saudi’s insulation from the financial crisis by virtue of its abundant oil supplies was cited as a factor for the collective confidence, as was the strong growth in consumer spending witnessed over the first quarter of this year - a trend that most analysts expect to continue.

Certainly Saudi Arabia’s economy, which is the largest in the Middle East, has continued to attract strong investment interest from foreign institutions this year.

In fact, Saudi, which this year’s hopes to break in the ranks of the top ten best business cities in the world, was viewed as a country ripe in opportunity for the right investor.