Foreign institutions’ increased net selling and considerably lower buying support from their Gulf counterparts rather led the 20-stock Qatar Share Index fall 0.09% to 10,950.34 points as global oil prices weakened on rising US output.
Industrials, telecom and realty counters witnessed higher than average selling in the bourse, whose year-to-date gains were however at 4.92%.
Selling was seen predominantly among small and large cap scrips in the market, where Gulf individual investors turned net profit takers.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline in the bourse, where real estate and banking sectors together accounted for about 71% of the total volumes.
Market capitalisation shrank QR69mn or 0.12% to QR587.7bn with small and large cap equities losing 0.36% and 0.14%, but micro and midcaps gained 0.26% and 0.25% respectively.
The Total Return Index was down 0.09% to 17,716.92 points, All Share Index by 0.09% to 2,999.96 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.08% to 4,079.57 points.
The industrials sector saw its index decline 0.53%, telecom (0.53%) and realty (0.24%); whereas insurance gained 0.54%, consumer goods (0.31%), banks and financial services (0.07%) and transport (0.07%).
More than 51% of the stocks were in the red with major losers being Mazaya Qatar, Aamal Company, Qatar Electricity and Water, Qatar National Cement, Ezdan, Vodafone Qatar, Ooredoo, Nakilat, QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, al khaliji and Qatari German Company for Medical Devices.
Nevertheless, Qatar Insurance, Masraf Al Rayan, Barwa, Milaha, Gulf Warehousing, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Gulf International Services, Doha Bank, Commercial Bank and Salam International Investment were among the gainers.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net profit booking increased substantially to QR16.22mn compared to QR1.99mn on Sunday.
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net buying plunged to QR2.72mn against QR32.07mn on January 22.
The GCC retail investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR3.18mn compared with net buyers of QR0.74mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors were also net profit takers to the extent of QR1.14mn against net buyers of QR5.24mn on Sunday.
However, domestic institutions’ net buying strengthened considerably to QR40.65mn compared to QR2.2mn on January 22.
Local retail investors’ net profit booking declined perceptibly to QR22.84mn against QR38.24mn the previous day.
Total trade volume fell 43% to 7.25mn shares and value by 22% to QR242.42mn, while deals were up 5% to 3,337.
There was 83% plunge in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 0.55mn equities and 61% in value to QR12.96mn but on doubled transactions to 344.
The transport sector’s trade volume plummeted 58% to 0.11mn stocks, value by 41% to QR4.77mn and deals by 15% to 103.
The real estate sector reported 50% shrinkage in trade volume to 2.82mn shares and 41% in value to QR58.26mn but on 1% rise in transactions to 845.
The industrials sector’s trade volume declined 7% to 0.66mn equities, value by 4% to QR27.41mn and deals by 1% to 473.
The market witnessed 3% fall in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.71mm stocks, 22% in value to QR39.34mn and 14% in transactions to 384.
However, the banks and financial services sector’s trade volume shot up 17% to 2.3mn shares, value by 8% to QR93.24mn and deals by 6% to 1,125.
The insurance sector witnessed 14% surge in trade volume to 0.08mn equities and 53% in value to QR6.43mn but on 17% slump in transactions to 63.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
