QSE opens week flat even as foreign, Gulf funds turn bullish

The Qatar Stock Exchange yesterday opened the week flat although foreign and Gulf funds were seen bullish.
The industrials and telecom counters witnessed stronger demand, even as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled at 9,603.06 points.
More than 55% of the traded constituents were, however, in the red on the market, whose year-to-date losses stood at less than 8%.
Market capitalisation saw QR89mn or 0.16% increase to QR560.23bn, mainly owing to microcap segments.
A total of 21,600 exchange traded funds (both QATR and QETF) valued at QR119,413 changed hands across four transactions; while in the debt market, there was no trading of sovereign bonds and treasury bills.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline on the market, where the consumer goods, banking and industrials sectors together accounted for more than 85% of the total trading volume.
The Total Return Index was up 0.01% to 18,461.57 points and All Share Index by 0.04% to 2,991 points, while Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) was flat at 2,202.01 points.
The industrials index soared 0.69%, telecom (0.66%), realty (0.08%) and transport (0.06%); whereas insurance shrank 0.53%, consumer goods and services (0.3%) and banks and financial services (0.13%).
Major gainers included Aamal Company, Dlala, Mannai Corporation, Gulf Warehousing, Industries Qatar, United Development Company and Vodafone Qatar; even as Qatar German Company for Medical Devices, Al Khaleej Takaful, Medicare Group, Doha Insurance, Qatari Investors Group, QIIB, Baladna, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing and Gulf International Services were among the losers.
Foreign institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR34.45mn compared with net sellers of QR22.58mn on August 13.
The Arab individuals’ net buying increased perceptibly to QR4.79mn against QR4.44mn the previous trading day.
The Gulf institutions were net buyers to the extent of QR0.93mn compared with net sellers of QR1.86mn last Thursday.
Local retail investors’ net selling declined noticeably to QR34.49mn against QR37.71mn on August 13.
However, domestic funds’ net buying declined substantially to QR5.37mn compared to QR59.91mn the previous trading day.
Foreign individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR6.35mn against net buyers of QR1.37mn last Thursday.
The Gulf individuals’ net profit booking grew markedly to QR4.67mn compared to QR3.95mn on August 13.
The Arab funds had no major exposure against net sellers to the tune of QR0.38mn the previous trading day.
Total trade volumes fell 11% to 222mn shares, value by 29% to QR389.29mn and transactions by 19% to 8,398.
The real estate sector’s trade volume plummeted 67% to 10.09mn equities, value by 63% to QR13.6mn and deals by 31% to 850.
The telecom sector saw 38% plunge in trade volume to 6.66mn stocks, 52% in value to QR11.45mn and 52% in transactions to 398.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume tanked 36% to 45.43mn shares, value by 56% to QR112.15mn and deals by 34% to 2,105.
However, the insurance sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 7.51mn equities and value more than doubled to QR14.42mn on almost doubled transactions to 275.
There was a 54% surge in the transport sector’s trade volume to 9.02mn stocks, 33% in value to QR27.36mn and 19% in deals to 595.
The industrials sector’s trade volume expanded 16% to 92.17mn shares, while value shrank 19% to QR100.79mn and transactions by 21% to 2,292.
The market witnessed a 4% jump in the consumer goods and services sector’s trade volume to 51.14mn equities, 36% in value to QR109.52mn and 23% in deals to 1,883.