The Qatar Stock Exchange on Monday gained 155 points to surpass the 8,900 level with the Qatar Central Securities Depository allowing higher up to 49% foreign ownership limits in the energy related companies and in a Shariah-principled lender.

Strong buying interests from foreign, Gulf and domestic institutions was largely responsible for the 1.76% increase in the 20-stock Qatar Index to 8,936.77 points.
Doha Bank and Masraf Al Rayan sponsored exchange traded funds QETF and QATR witnessed 1.84% and 0.69% gains respectively.
However, retail investors were largely into profit-booking mode in the market, which is up 4.85% year-to-date.
Large cap equities witnessed robust buying support, thus leading to a 1.89% surge in capitalisation to QR493.29bn.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the increase in the market, where industrials, banking and telecom sectors together accounted for about 72% of the total volume.
The Total Return Index gained 1.76% to 15,745.59 points, the All Share Index by 1.61% to 2,629.34 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 1.18% to 2,246.35 points.
The industrials index soared 2.61%, followed by banks and financial services (1.93%), realty (1.42%), consumer goods (0.66%) and insurance (0.49%); whereas telecom and transport declined 0.23% and 0.04% respectively.
More than 61% of the traded stocks extended gains with major movers being Industries Qatar, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Qatar Electricity and Water, QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank, Qatar Insurance, Ooredoo, Barwa and Ezdan; even as United Development Bank, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar National Cement and Islamic Holding Group were among the losers.
Non-Qatari institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR31.18mn against net sellers of QR8.93mn on April 8.
The Gulf institutions’ net buying increased considerably to QR12.78mn compared to QR5.37mn the previous day.
Domestic institutions were net buyers to the extent of QR7.17mn against net sellers of QR4.03mn on Sunday.
However, local individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR46.55mn compared with net buyers of QR9.53mn on April 8.
Non-Qatari individuals’ net profit booking strengthened perceptibly to QR3.86nmn against QR3.13mn on April 8.
The Gulf individual investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR0.69mn compared with net buyers of QR1.19mn on Sunday.
Total trade volume more than doubled to 10.21mn shares and value more than tripled to QR355.55mn on more-than-doubled transactions to 4,094.
The insurance sector’s trade volume grew more than 16-fold to 0.68mn equities and value by more than 24-fold to QR25.25mn on more than tripled deals to 127.
The transport sector’s trade volume rose more than seven-fold to 0.94mn stocks and value more than quadrupled to QR19.25mn on more-than-tripled transactions to 380.
The industrials sector’s trade volume more than quadrupled to 2.67mn shares and value increased about seven-fold to QR96.39mn on almost tripled deals to 966.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume almost quadrupled to 2.58mn equities and value more than quadrupled to QR122.02mn on more-than-doubled transactions to 1,387.
The consumer goods sector reported a 39% surge in trade volume to 0.32mn stocks, 36% in value to QR32.98mn and 64% in deals to 400.
The telecom sector’s trade volume expanded 17% to 2.06mn shares, value by 65% to QR29.3mn and transactions by 44% to 455.
There was a 7% increase in the real estate sector’s trade volume to 0.96mn equities to more than double value to QR19.35mn on 15% jump in deals to 379.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and sovereign bonds.

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