Qatar Stock Exchange on Tuesday witnessed five of the seven sectors under buying pressure, yet its key index lost marginally but to stay afloat above the 10,700 mark.
Local retail investors were increasingly into profit booking and their non-Qatari counterparts turned bearish as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell for the second day by a wee 0.01% to 10,700.47 points.
Selling pressure was squarely visible among realty and industrials in the bourse, whose year-to-date gains were however at 2.53%.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline in the market, where real estate, banking, telecom and industrials sectors together accounted for about 88% of the total volumes.
Islamic stocks were seen outperforming than the main index as well as other conventional indices in the bourse, where foreign institutions’ net buying strengthened substantially.
Market capitalisation was down QR34mn or 0.06% to QR575.69bn despite mid and small cap equities gaining 0.33% each and large caps 0.2%, but microcaps fell 0.55%.
The Total Return Index dipped 0.01% to 17,312.65 points, while All Share Index rose 0.03% to 2,935.46 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.13% to 3,981.09 points.
The realty sector saw its index slump 0.74% and industrials 0.24%, whereas industrials gained 0.99%, banks and financial services (0.28%), insurance (0.27%), telecom (0.21%) and transport (0.03%).
Major losers included Mazaya Qatar, Ezdan, Industries Qatar, Nakilat, QNB, Doha Bank, Dlala and Islamic Holding Group; even as Qatar Insurance, Masraf Al Rayan, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank, QIIB, Woqod, Qatar Electricity and Water, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding and United Development Company were among the gainers.
Local retail investors’ net selling strengthened considerably to QR47.65mn compared to QR33.19mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR5.12mn against net buyers of QR3.12mn on January 9.
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net buying fell to QR6.55mn compared to QR9.91mn on Monday.
Domestic institutions’ net buying declined marginally to QR5.12mn against QR5.84mn the previous day.
The GCC retail investors turned net profit takers to the extent of QR1.43mn compared with net buyers of QR1.64mn on January 10.
However, non-Qatari institutions’ net buying increased substantially to QR42.56mn against QR12.68mn on Monday.
Total trade volume fell 26% to 6.81mn shares, value by 6% to QR247.15mn and deals by 17% to 3,569.
There was 45% plunge in the real estate sector’s trade volume to 1.87mn equities, 43% in value to QR39.03m and 14% in transactions to 586.
The transport sector’s trade volume plummeted 36% to 0.18mn stocks, value by 14% to QR7.07mn and deals by 37% to 123.
The banks and financial services sector saw 31% shrinkage in trade volume to 1.45mn shares, 19% in value to QR62.47mn and 7% in transactions to 971.
The telecom sector’s trade volume tanked 14% to 1.4mn equities, while value gained 3% to QR19.98mn and deals by 13% to 270.
The market witnessed 12% decline in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.45mn stocks, 1% in value to QR33.61mn and 20% in transactions to 471.
However, the insurance sector’s trade volume surged 18% to 0.2mn shares and value by 15% to QR14mn, whereas deals fell 16% to 119.
The industrials sector reported 10% expansion in trade volume to 1.25mn equities and 56% in value to QR70.98mn but on 27% decline in transactions to 1,029.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.

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