The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE), Mr. Nader Azar, said that the ASE achieved a positive performance during 2014 despite the surrounding political circumstances in Jordan within the Arab region and the continuous political tension in some region countries and its effects on the Jordanian economy. The ASE price index weighted by free float shares increased to reach (2165.5) point at the end of 2014 compared with (2065.8) point by the end of 2013; an increase by (4.82%). The market capitalization of listed shares at the ASE decreased slightly to JD (18.1) billion; a decrease of (0.8%), compared with last year 2013 closing, constituting (75.8%) of the GDP.
Mr. Azar added that despite the improvement in the ASE index, the other trading indicators witnessed a decrease in its performance during 2014. The trading value for the ASE during 2014 reached JD (2.3) billion compared with JD (3.0) billion for the year 2013. The number of traded shares reached (2.3) billion shares, traded through (956) thousand transactions, compared with (2.7) billion shares traded during 2013 through (1074) thousand transactions.
It is worth mentioning that the December of 2014 witnessed an improvement in the trading value for the ASE where the average daily trading value for December of 2014 reached JD (12.3) million compared with JD (10.5) million for December 2013.
As for the performance of the public shareholding companies for the first three-quarters of the year 2014, the financial data for the 218 companies that provided the ASE with its quarterly reports revealed that profits before taxes of these companies have been risen to around JD (1.2) billion for the period (Jan-Sept) 2014 compared with JD (1.1) billion for the same period of 2013 and an increase of (7.9%)
As for the non-Jordanian investment at the ASE, which is distributed to more than one hundred nationality around the world, the statistics showed that the value of shares bought by non-Jordanian investors during the year 2014 was JD (362.7) million, representing 16% of the overall trading value, while the value of shares sold by them amounted to JD (384.8) million. As a result, the net of non-Jordanian investments showed a decrease of JD (22.2) million, compared to an increase by JD (146.9) million for the year 2013.
Accordingly, Non-Jordanian ownership in companies listed at the ASE at the end of 2014 becomes around (48.8%) of the overall market capitalization, where Arab investors constituting (36%), and non-Arab investors constituting (12.8%) of the overall market capitalization of the ASE.