Notwithstanding the rising geopolitical tensions in the region, the Qatar Stock Exchange closed this week on a positive note with its key index gaining as much as 29 points despite losers outnumbering gainers.
Notwithstanding the rising geopolitical tensions in the region, the Qatar Stock Exchange closed this week on a positive note with its key index gaining as much as 29 points despite
losers outnumbering gainers.A higher than average demand in the industrials counter helped the 20-stock Qatar Index gain 0.28% this week which saw Commercial Bank report net profit of QR3.01bn in 2023.The foreign funds were seen net buyers this week which saw Masraf Al Rayan register net profit of QR1.45bn in 2023.The foreign retail investors were increasingly net buyers this week which saw Doha Bank record net profit of QR769.48mn in 2023.The Gulf institutions’ weakened net selling had its influence in main market this week which saw FLAG, a subsidiary of Gulf Warehousing (GWC), open a logistics hub in Oman.The domestic funds continued to be net buyers but with lesser vigour in the main bourse this week which saw GWC report net profit of QR215.04mn in 2023.However, the local retail investors turned net profit takers in the main market this week which saw QNB raise $1bn through its Eurobond medium-term note programme.The Gulf individuals’ lower net selling also had its marginal influence in the main bourse this week which saw Estithmar Holding launch a QR3.4bn trust certificate issue.The Arab individuals turned bearish in the main market this week which saw a total of 0.07mn Masraf Al Rayan-sponsored exchange-traded fund QATR worth QR0.16mn trade across 25 deals.Five of the seven sectors reeled under selling pressure in the main bourse this week which saw as many as 687 Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.01mn change hands across three transactions.The Islamic index was seen declining vis-a-vis gains in the other indices in the main market this week which saw the banks and industrials together constitute more than 60% of the total trade volumes.Market capitalisation was up QR0.35bn or 0.06% to QR600.58bn on the back of microcap segments this week, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds and treasury bills.Trade volumes and turnover were on the increase in both the main bourse and juniour market this week, which saw Lesha Bank register net profit of QR94.39mn in 2023.The Total Return Index rose 0.28% and the All Share Index by 0.11%, while the All Islamic Index declined 0.12% this week, which saw Petrotec, a subsidiary of Al Mahhar Holding, and Siemens enter into a strategic partnership to support Qatar's digital transformation in energy and utilities sector.The industrial sector index gained 1.07% and banks and financial services 0.04%; while real estate declined 0.49%, telecom (0.39%), consumer goods and services (0.19%) and transport (0.06%) this week.Major gainers in the main market included Qatar National Cement, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Doha Bank, Doha Insurance, Ahlibank QIIB, Qatar Islamic Bank, Industries Qatar, Alijarah Holding, Mekdam Holding, GWC and Nakilat. In the venture market, Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatari German Medical Devices, Qatar Insurance, Masraf Al Rayan, Baladna, Ezdan, Lesha Bank, Dlala, Salam International Investment, Medicare Group and Qamco were among the losers in the main market. In the junior bourse, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value this week.The foreign funds turned net buyers to the tune of QR86.86mn compared with net sellers of QR66.34mn the week ended January 18.The foreign individual investors’ net buying increased perceptibly to QR3.99mn against QR1.04mn the previous week.The Gulf institutions’ net profit booking declined substantially to QR45.86mn compared to QR59.16mn a week ago.The Gulf retail investors’ net selling eased markedly to QR0.33mn against QR1.37mn the week ended January 18.However, the Qatari individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR44.76mn compared with net buyers of QR36.96mn the previous week.The Arab individual investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR11.55mn against net buyers of QR4.04mn a week ago.The domestic funds’ net buying weakened drastically to QR10.65mn compared to QR84.78mn the week ended January 18.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net buyers to the extent of QR0.05mn the previous week.The main market witnessed a 24% surge in trade volumes to 1.1mn shares, 9% in value to QR3.2bn and 13% in deals to 106,262 this week.In the venture market, trade volumes almost tripled to 2.17mn equities and value also almost tripled to QR2.64mn on more than doubled transactions to 197.