By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter
The Qatar Stock Exchange on Tuesday surpassed the 12,200 mark, gaining 0.14%, mainly lifted by insurance and transport stocks.
Local retail investors’ net buying support led the 20-stock Qatar Index gain another 17 points to 12,209.54 points amid shrinking trade volumes.
Mid and large cap stocks witnessed the maximum buying interests in the bourse, which is, however, down 0.62% year-to-date.
The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the market, where trading was skewed towards realty, banking and consumer goods stocks, which together accounted for about 72% of the overall volume.
Market capitalisation rose 0.05% or QR33mn to QR654.49bn with mid, large and small cap stocks gaining 0.24%, 0.11% and 0.08% respectively; even as micro caps were down 0.28%.
The Total Return Index was up 0.14% to 18,974.26 points, All Share Index by 0.11% to 3,259.27 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.08% to 4,645.21 points.
Insurance stocks gained 1.3%, transport (0.53%), banks and financial services (0.18%) and industrials (0.08%); whereas consumer goods fell 0.4%, real estate (0.33%) and telecom (0.08%).
Major gainers included Masraf Al Rayan, Dlala, Commercial Bank, Qatar Insurance, Aamal Company, Mannai Corporation, Milaha and Widam Food.
However, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Barwa, Ezdan, Vodafone Qatar, Nakilat, Doha Bank and Salam International Investment bucked the trend.
Local retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR10.55mn against net sellers of QR65.58mn the previous day.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) institutions also turned net buyers to the extent of QR2.51mn compared with net sellers of QR5.18mn on Monday.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net profit booking weakened to QR6.01mn against QR17.85mn on April 27.
However, domestic institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR22.96mn against net buyers of QR11.16mn the previous day.
The GCC individual investors’ net selling rose to QR3.46mn compared to QR0.72mn on Monday.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened to QR19.33mn against QR78.26mn on April 27.
Total trade volume shrank 61% to 7.22mn shares, value by 55% to QR326.58mn and transactions by 40% to 4,543.
The telecom sector’s trade volume plummeted 72% to 0.51mn equities, value by 67% to QR13.15mn and deals by 57% to 310.
The real estate sector saw its trade volume plunge 65% to 2.29mn stocks, value by 59% to QR92.01mn and transactions by 39% to 924.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume tanked 64% to 1.16mn shares, value by 66% to QR30.71mn and deals by 56% to 538.
The banks and financial services sector reported 57% shrinkage in trade volume to 1.72mn equities, 51% in value to QR94.44mn and 35% in transactions to 1,523.
The transport sector’s trade volume declined 54% to 0.4mn stocks, value by 12% to QR27.58mn and deals by 36% to 283.
The market witnessed 47% fall in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 0.93mn shares, 62% in value to QR52.57mn and 32% in transactions to 876.
However, the insurance sector’s trade volume more than tripled to 0.21mn equities and value more than quadrupled to QR16.13mn on 29% expansion in deals to 89.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
