Non-Jordanian Investment at The ASE During May 2017

The total value of shares that were bought by non-Jordanian investors at the Amman Stock exchange (ASE) during May 2017 was JD24.3million, representing 15% of the overall trading value, while the value of shares sold by them amounted to JD32.3 million. As a result, the net of non-Jordanian investments during May 2017 showed a decrease by JD8 million, compared with an increase by JD14.9 million during the same month of 2016.

The total value of shares that were bought by non-Jordanian investors since the beginning of the year until the end of May 2017 was JD782.3 million, representing 38.4% of the overall trading value, while the value of shares sold by them amounted to JD1188.9 million. As a result, the net of non-Jordanian investments showed a decrease of JD406.6 million, compared to an increase by JD144.5 million for the same period of 2016. The reason for this decline in the net investments is due mainly to selling of a Lebanese company; Oger Middle East Holding its stake in the Arab Bank to a group of Arab and Jordanian investors through a block trade held in February of this year, the volume of the block trade amounted JD794.4 million.

Arab investors purchases since the beginning of the year until the end of May 2017 were JD504.3 million, or 64.5% of the overall purchases by non-Jordanians, while the value of non-Arab purchases amounted to JD278 million, constituting 35.5% of the total purchases. Arab investors sales amounted to JD1094.2 million, 92% of non-Jordanians total sales, while the value of non-Arab sales amounted to 94.7 million, representing 8% of the total sales by non-Jordanians.

Non-Jordanian investors' ownership in companies listed at the ASE by end of May 2017 represented 48% of the total market value, 36% for Arab investors and 12% for non-Arab investors. At the sector level, the non-Jordanian ownership in the financial sector was 53.3%, in the services sector was 21.6%, and in the industrial sector was 51%.