By Santhosh V. Perumal
Business Reporter

The Qatar Stock Exchange on Thursday surpassed the psychological barrier of 12,000 points on buying support from domestic and foreign institutions.
Buying interests – particularly in real estate and industrials – lifted the 20-stock Qatar Index 0.48% to 12,049.85 points amid fall in trade volumes.
Small-cap stocks outperformed the main index in the bourse, which is however down 1.92% year-to-date.
However, local retail investors’ net selling strengthened and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) institutions had bearish outlook on the market, where overall trading was skewed towards realty, banks and consumer goods stocks, which together accounted for more than 77% of the volume.
Market capitalisation rose 0.38%, or more than QR2bn, to QR646.93bn with small, micro and large cap stocks gaining 0.52%, 0.48% and 0.34% respectively, even as mid-caps fell 0.38%.
The Total Return Index gained 0.48% to 18,726.1 points, the All Share Index by 0.39% to 3,219.5 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.4% to 4,561.29 points.
Realty stocks appreciated 0.79%, followed by industrials (0.6%), consumer goods (0.29%), banks and financial services (0.21%), transport and telecom (0.19% each), and insurance (0.09%).
Major movers included QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, Qatari Investors Group, Gulf International Services, Barwa, Ezdan and Mazaya Qatar; even as Commercial Bank, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding and Vodafone Qatar bucked the trend.
Domestic institutions’ net buying strengthened to QR26.76mn against QR13.88mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying also strengthened to QR40.75mn against QR19.67mn on Wednesday.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net profit-booking fell to QR1.19mn compared to QR4.27mn on Wednesday.
However, the GCC institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR17.36mn against net buyers of QR2.98mn the pervious day.
Local retail investors’ net selling surged to QR47.96mn compared to QR37.11mn on Wednesday.
The GCC individual investors turned net profit-takers to the extent of QR0.99mn against net buyers of QR4.8mn on Wednesday.
Total trade volume fell 15% to 8.72mn shares, value by 20% to QR330.73mn and transactions by 11% to 4,737.
The market witnessed a 51% plunge in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 0.93mn equities, 45% in value to QR61.92mn and 21% in deals to 1,043.
The insurance sector’s trade volume plummeted 50% to 0.03mn stocks, value by 35% to QR1.99mn and transactions by 7% to 39.
There was a 45% decline in the transport sector’s trade volume to 0.12mn shares, 69% in value to QR4.25mn and 42% in deals to 97.
The telecom sector’s trade volume tanked 43% to 0.89mn equities and value by 41% to QR19.8mn but transactions gained 19% to 585.
The banks and financial services sector reported a 20% slippage in trade volume to 2.06mn stocks and 5% in value to QR120.68mn but on 4% higher deals to 1,486.
However, the real estate sector witnessed a 24% surge in trade volume to 3.23mn shares and value by 2% to QR89.47mn whereas transactions fell 21% to 929.
The consumer goods sector saw its trade volume expand 9% to 1.46mn equities but value shrank 12% to QR32.62mn and deals by 19% to 558.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.