Santhosh V. Perumal/Business Reporter

Qatar Stock Exchange largely remained flat despite strong buying interests in the transport, telecom, industrials and banking stocks.

Local retail investors continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity as the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) rose a marginal 0.04% to 12,450.34 points on higher trade volumes.

Mid and micro cap stocks witnessed more buying interests in the bourse, which is up 1.34% year-to-date.

Domestic institutions were marginally bullish in the market, where real estate, industrials and banking stocks together cornered more than 69% of the total trading volume.

Market capitalisation, however, was down 0.04% or QR25mn to QR675.09bn despite mid, micro and large cap equities gaining 0.86%, 0.66% and 0.16% respectively.

The Total Return Index rose 0.63% to 18,930.85 points, All Share Index by 0.57% to 3,263.25 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.79% to 4,465.13 points.

Transport stocks soared 1.24%, telecom (1.04%), industrials (0.8%), banks and financial services (0.6%), insurance (0.55%) and consumer goods (0.19%); while realty fell 0.19%.

About 66% of the stocks extended gains with major movers being Nakilat, Milaha, Vodafone Qatar, Ooredoo, Mannai Corporation, Qatari Investors Group, Commercial Bank, QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, Islamic Holding Group and Salam International Investment.

However, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Mazaya Qatar and Ezdan bucked the trend.

Qatari retail investors’ net buying fell to QR18.53mn against QR20.67mn the previous trading day.

Domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.31mn compared with net sellers of QR23.03mn on February 26.

Foreign institutions turned net sellers to the extent of QR3.77mn against net buyers of QR4.72mn last Thursday.

Non-Qatari individual investors’ profit booking strengthened to QR15.12mn compared to QR2.36mn the previous trading day.

Total trade volume rose 4% to 10.07mn shares, value by 12% to QR509.16mn and transactions by 6% to 5,959.

The transport sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.63mn stocks and value more than tripled to QR36.4mn on more than doubled deals to 295.

The insurance sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.21mn equities and value also more than doubled to QR12.09mn on 59% jump in transactions to 129.

There was 66% surge in the real estate’s trade volume to 3.36mn shares and value more than doubled to QR109.84mn on 29% expansion in deals to 1,237.

The industrials sector saw its trade volume soar 49% to 2.1mn stocks, value by 9% to QR174.76mn and transactions by 8% to 1,926.

However, the market witnessed 54% shrinkage in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 1.27mn equities, 48% in value to QR28.61mn and 18% in deals to 617.

The banks and financial services sector reported 28% plunge in trade volume to 1.51mn shares, 8% in value to QR112.06mn and 3% in transactions to 1,273.

Although the consumer goods sector’s trade volume was flat at 0.99mn stocks, there was 8% fall in value to QR35.39mn and 22% in deals to 482.

In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.

Related Story