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An across the board selling – particularly in the real estate, insurance and industrials – Tuesday dragged the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) more than 64 points and its .text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px; }@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;} } **media[36578]** capitalisation eroded QR4bn. The foreign institutions were seen increasingly into net selling as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.62% to 10,338.73 points, in contrast to the regional markets that closed higher on prospects of the US averting a major debt default. About three-fourth of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, which however touched an intraday high 10,442 points. The local retail investors were seen net profit takers in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses widened further to 3.21%. The Arab individuals were seen bearish in the main bourse, whose capitalisation shed 0.71% to QR614.51bn, mainly on account of midcap segments. The weakened net buying of foreign and Gulf individuals had its influence in the main bourse, which saw a total of 4,787 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.02mn changed hands across three deals. However, the Gulf and domestic institutions were increasingly net buyers in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds. The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills. The Total Return Index shrank 0.62%, All Share Index by 0.68% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.99% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover grew amidst lower volumes. The realty sector index plummeted 2.17%, insurance (1.14%), industrials (1.11%), transport (0.75%), consumer goods and services (0.62%), banks and financial services (0.28%) and telecom (0.25%). Major shakers in the main market included Mazaya Qatar, Al Khaleej Takaful, Gulf International Services, Qatar Oman Investment, Alijarah Holding, Industries Qatar, Masraf Al Rayan, Lesha Bank, Qatari German Medical Devices, Salam International Investment, Widam Food, Al Meera, Qatari Investors Group, Estithmar Holding, Qamco, Qatar Insurance, Ezdan, Milaha and Gulf Warehousing. Nevertheless, Beema, Dlala, Doha Bank, QLM and Commercial Bank were among the gainers in the main market. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares appreciate in value. The foreign institutions’ net selling increased substantially to QR54.53mn compared to QR34.11mn on May 29. The Qatari individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR4.22mn against net buyers of QR20.63mn the previous day. The Arab individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR3.8mn compared with net buyers of QR2.92mn on Monday. The foreign individual investors’ net buying declined perceptibly to QR0.65mn against QR1.72mn on May 29. The Gulf retail investors’ net buying weakened marginally to QR0.01mn compared to QR0.37mn the previous day. However, the Gulf institutions’ net buying increased significantly to QR37.61mn against QR3.45mn on Monday. The domestic institutions’ net buying enhanced considerably to QR23.87mn compared to QR4.94mn on May 29. The Arab institutions’ net buying strengthened noticeably to QR0.42mn against QR0.08mn the previous day. The main market saw a 7% contraction in trade volumes to 239.16mn shares but on 14% jump in value to QR653.86mn and 18% in deals to 23,490.

The initial public offering (IPO) of Meeza QSTP, a leading provider of end-to-end IT services in Qatar, will hit the market on June 6, seeking to raise QR438.7mn from retail investors and institutions other than qualified investors.As much as 62.59% of the offer shares (constituting 203.1mn) are currently being offered to eligible investors, including Qatari citizens and legal entities incorporated in Qatar, at an offer price of QR2.17 (including the listing fees of QR0.01 a share).The IPO of Meeza, whose net income saw a compound annual growth rate of 22.4% over the last three years to reach QR52.1mn in 2022 (15% net income margin), will be on tap until June 19.The minimum order by individual and corporate investors has been set at 500 offer shares and the maximum order by individual and corporate investors at 32.45mn offer shares.The total offering size of the maiden offer is QR700.9mn, which includes 121.39mn shares (or 37.41%) allotted to qualified investors at QR2.17 through the country's first ever book building process for an IPO.The share capital of Meeza is QR648.98mn, divided into 648.98mn shares of QR1 each. A half of it (50%) - equivalent to 324.49mn shares - are being offered at an offer price of QR2.17, making the total size of the offering QR700.9mn (excluding the offering costs of QR0.01 per share).The offer price of the shares comprising the share capital was determined by qualified investors in Qatar through the first book building process ever pursued to price an IPO on the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE).The company offered the offer shares to a set of qualified investors during the book building subscription period that ran from January 15, 2023 to March 6, 2023.Meeza’s founders - Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and Ooredoo - are strongly committed to its future success and will be retaining at least 50% shareholding in the company post-IPO.Post-IPO, QF is expected to retain at least 40%, Ooredoo 10%, qualified investors 18.71%, and individual and corporate investors up to 31.29%.The company has consistently recorded strong and stable growth over the last three years with revenue growing at an 11.3% CAGR between 2020 and 2022, coupled with an EBITDA (earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortisation) CAGR of 10.9% over the same period, driven by a significant growth in demand for data centre capacity and ancillary IT services.Seven qualified investors had subscribed to 121.39mn shares and the order book was closed at a final offer price of QR2.17 per share.The final pricing of the shares outside the latest price range is a testament of the effectiveness of the book building mechanism to transparently price the IPO based on supply and demand, considering market conditions and feedback received from qualified investors during the book building subscription period.The company will submit an application to the Qatar Financial Market Authority and the QSE to list the Shares on the QSE in accordance with the listing requirements of the regulator and the procedural rules of the QSE. The listing is expected to be in July 2023.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Monday fell more than 23 points, dragged mainly by industrials, banking and consumer goods sectors. .text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[36045]**The foreign funds were seen increasingly into net selling as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.22% to 10,403.05 points.The Gulf institutions’ weakened net buying had its influence in the main market, which touched an intraday high 10,457 points.The losers outnumbered gains by a slender margin in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses widened further to 2.6%.The Arab individuals’ lower net buying also had its say in the main bourse, whose capitalisation shed QR1.09bn or 0.18% to QR618.89bn, mainly on account of microcap segments.However, the local retail investors were seen increasingly into net buying in the main bourse, which saw a total of 5,816 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR0.01mn changed hands across seven deals.The domestic institutions turned net buyers in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen making gains vis-à-vis declines in the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index declined 0.22% and All Share Index by 0.19%, while Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) rose 0.23% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover grew amidst lower volumes.The industrials sector index shrank 0.62%, banks and financial services (0.5%) and consumer goods and services (0.36%); whereas real estate gained 1.88%, transport (1.46%), telecom (0.45%) and insurance (0.32%).Major shakers in the main market included QLM, Beema, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Qatar Islamic Insurance, Doha Bank and Commercial Bank. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatari German Medical Devices, Widam Food, Al Khaleej Takaful, Milaha, Qatari Investors Group, Aamal Company, Qatar Insurance, Barwa, United Development Company and Ezdan were among the gainers in the main market.The foreign institutions’ net selling increased perceptibly to QR34.11mn compared to QR32.83mn on May 28.The Gulf institutions’ net buying weakened noticeably to QR3.45mn against QR14.92mn the previous day.The Arab individual investors’ net buying shrank markedly to QR2.92mn compared to QR7.1mn on Sunday.However, the Qatari individuals’ net buying increased significantly to QR20.63mn against QR13.27mn on May 28.The domestic funds turned net buyers to the tune of QR4.94mn compared with net sellers of QR1.09mn the previous day.The foreign individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR1.72mn against net sellers of QR1.51mn on Sunday.The Gulf retail investors’ net buying strengthened marginally to QR0.37mn compared to QR0.13mn on May 28.The Arab institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.08mn against no major net exposure the previous day.The main market saw less than 1% shrinkage in trade volumes to 255.9mn shares but on 16% jump in value to QR573.8mn and 28% in deals to 19,953.

Increased shipments of crude and non-crude led Qatar register a 3.5% month-on-month growth in trade surplus this April, according to the official statistics.The increase in the country's merchandise trade surplus has been enabled by robust expansion in the shipments to South Korea during the period in review, said the figures released by the Planning and Statistics Authority.Qatar's trade surplus however showed a 35.6% plunge on an annual basis in April 2023 as the exports fell faster than the imports.The country's total exports of goods (including exports of goods of domestic origin and re-exports) were QR30.69bn, showing a 0.5% and 29.4% decline month-on-month and year-on-year respectively in April 2023.The exports of other commodities expanded 6.7% on a monthly basis to QR3.65bn in April 2023, crude by 3.2% to QR5.04bn and non-crude by 2.6% to QR2.61bn; whereas petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons' exports fell 2.4% to QR18.57bn.On a yearly basis, the exports of petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons plummeted 33.2%, non-crude by 29%, crude by 25.8% and other commodities by 20.1% in the review period.Petroleum gases constituted 62.19% of the exports of domestic products in April 2023 compared to 64.91% a year ago period; followed by crude 16.88% (15.84%), non-crude 8.74% (8.6%) and other commodities 12.22% (10.65%).In April 2023, Qatar's shipments to China amounted to QR5.63bn or 18.3% of the total exports of the country, followed by South Korea QR5.11bn (16.6%), India QR3.51bn (11.4%), Singapore QR2.16bn (7%), and Japan QR2.05bn (6.7%).On a monthly basis, Qatar's exports to South Korea were up 4.8%; while those to Japan declined 18.19%, China by 12.11%, Singapore by 6.22% and South Korea by 4.8% in April 2023.On a yearly basis, Qatar's exports to Japan plunged 54.89%, India by 36.5%, Singapore by 25.44% and China by 14.28%; whereas those to South Korea soared 22.01% in the review period.Qatar's total imports (valued at cost insurance and freight) amounted to QR8.69bn, which showed 9.3% and 6.3% decrease month-on-month and year-on-year respectively in April 2023.The country's imports from the US stood at QR1.28bn, which accounted for 14.7% of the total imports; China QR1.13bn (13%); India QR0.53bn (6.1%), Italy QR0.47bn (5.4%) and Germany QR0.42bn (4.9%) in the review period.On a monthly basis, the country's imports from India shrank 23.81%, China by 22.66%, Italy by 6.97% and the US by 3.4%; whereas those from Germany shot up 9.3% in April 2023.On a yearly basis, Qatar's imports from the US plummeted 30.84%, Germany by 20.64%, Italy by 18.64%, India by 12.29% and China by 2.85% in the review period.In April 2023, the group of "Motor Cars & Other Motor Vehicles for The Transport of Persons” was at the top of the imported group of commodities, with QR0.4bn, a fall of 1.5% year-on-year in the review period.In the second place was "Turbojets, Turbo propellers and Other Gas Turbines; Parts Thereof" with QR0.36bn, showing an annual contraction of 47.5%.In third place was "Electrical Apparatus for Line Telephony/Telegraphy, Telephone Sets; Parts thereof” with QR0.2bn, showing a 21.4% shrinkage in April 2023.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Sunday opened the week weak with its key index losing 30 points, dragged mainly by telecom sector..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[35566]**The weakened net buying interests of local retail investors and Gulf funds had its profound impact on dragging the sentiments as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell 0.28% to 10,426.32 points. Some 49% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, which touched an intraday high 10,477 points.The foreign individuals were seen net profit takers in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses widened to 2.39%.However, the Arab individuals were seen increasingly into net buying in the main bourse, whose capitalisation shed QR2.1bn or 0.34% to QR619.98bn, mainly on account of small and microcap segments.The foreign institutions continued to be net sellers but with lesser vigour in the main market, which saw a total of 0.44mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR1.01mn changed hands across 25 deals.However, the Gulf retail investors were net buyers, albeit at lower levels, in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than then main index in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index declined 0.28%, All Share Index by 0.2% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.11% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The telecom sector index tanked 2.19% and banks and financial services (0.46%); while insurance gained 1.46%, industrials (0.27%), consumer goods and services (0.25%), real estate (0.2%) and transport (0.01%).Major shakers in the main market included Inma Holding, Ooredoo, Medicare Group, Al Khaleej Takaful, Ahlibank Qatar, Widam Food and Gulf Warehousing. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatari German Medical Devices, Mazaya Qatar, Lesha Bank, Qatar Oman Investment, Salam International Investment, Qatar Insurance, Beema and QLM were among the gainers in the main market.The foreign individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.51mn compared with net buyers of QR4.62mn on May 25.The Qatari individuals’ net buying declined significantly to QR13.27mn against QR50.68mn the previous trading day.The Gulf institutions’ net buying weakened noticeably to QR14.92mn compared to QR23.31mn last Thursday.However, the Arab individual investors’ net buying grew markedly to QR7.1mn against QR6.72mn on May 25.The Gulf retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR0.13mn compared with net sellers of QR1.48mn the previous trading day.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking shrank significantly to QR1.09mn against QR33.7mn last Thursday.The foreign institutions’ net selling decreased drastically to QR32.83mn compared to QR50.03mn on May 25.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net sellers to the tune of QR0.11mn the previous trading day.The main market saw 21% shrinkage in trade volumes to 257.37mn shares, 34% in value to QR494.83mn and 32% in deals to 15,529.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) remained under bearish spell this week which otherwise saw the country’s sovereign wealth fund commit QR1bn to improve liquidity in the bourse..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[34741]**The foreign institutions were increasingly net profit takers as the 20-stock Qatar Index lost 1.77% or 185 points this week which saw HE the Qatar Central Bank governor Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saoud al-Thani categorically view that there was no need to change the existing fixed exchange rate parity with the dollar.The domestic institutions were also increasingly net sellers in the main market this week which saw Al Mahhar announce its plans to get listed on the venture market of the QSE in the first week of June.Movers were however seen outnumbering shakers in the main bourse this week which saw Investment Promotion Agency Qatar say that Doha has a strong pipeline of foreign direct investment projects.The Islamic equities were seen declining slower than the other indices this week which saw the Economic Intelligence Unit aver that Qatar's banking sector risk is among the lowest in the Middle East.The banking and industrials counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure this week which featured a Kamco Invest study that found Qatar's inflation to average 3% this, lower than 9.9% in the Arab world.The Arab institutions were seen net profit takers, albeit at lower levels, this week this week which saw Qatar Islamic Bank’s pact with Barwa for QR3bn financing.The Gulf funds’ substantially weakened net buying had its dampening influence in the main market this week which saw HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi highlight huge demand for gas from its North Field.However, the local retail investors were increasingly net buyers this week which saw a total of 4.28mn Masraf Al Rayan-sponsored exchange-traded fund QATR worth QR10.09mn trade across 198 deals.The Arab retail investors were seen bullish this week which saw as many as 0.01mn Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.05mn change hands across 10 transactions.Market capitalisation was seen eroding QR6.52bn or 1.04% to QR622.08bn on the back of mid and small cap segments this week which saw the consumer goods, realty and industrials sectors together constitute about 74% of the total trade volume in the main market.The Total Return Index shrank 1.77%, the All Share Index by 1.46%, and the All Islamic Index by 1.06% this week, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The banks and financial services sector index tanked 2.46% and industrials 1.79%; while real estate shot up 1.89%, insurance (1.35%), transport (0.66%), consumer goods (0.15%) and telecom (0.05%) this week which saw no trading of treasury bills.Major losers in the main market included Gulf International Services, Qatar Islamic Bank, Medicare Group, Doha Insurance, Barwa, QNB, Masraf Al Rayan, Lesha Bank, Qatar Oman Investment, Industries Qatar, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Qamco, and Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance.Nevertheless, Widam Food, Dlala, Mazaya Qatar, Salam International Investment, Qatari German Medical Devices, Dukhan Bank, Baladna, Aamal Company, Estithmar Holding, QLM, Beema, United Development Company and Ezdan were among the gainers. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value this week.The foreign institutions’ net selling increased substantially to QR179.65mn compared to QR115.03mn the week ended May 18.The domestic funds’ net selling strengthened significantly to QR63.12mn against QR23.07mn the previous week.The Arab institutions turned net profit takers to the tune of QR0.01mn compared with no major net exposure a week ago.The Gulf institutions’ net buying declined markedly to QR142.72mn against QR205.52mn the week ended May 18.However, Qatari individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR78.19mn compared with net sellers of QR43.63mn the previous week.The Arab retail investors were net buyers to the tune of QR16.39mn against net sellers of QR19.66mn a week ago.The foreign individuals turned net buyers to the extent of QR4.65mn compared with net profit takers of QR2.3mn the week ended May 18.The Gulf individuals were net buyers to the tune of QR0.82mn against net sellers of QR1.84mn the previous week.The main market witnessed a 59% expansion in trade volumes to 1.75mn shares and 18% in value to QR3.67bn but on 1% decline in deals to 108,056.

The Qatar Stock Exchange yesterday lost more than 68 points, on profit booking pressure, especially in the industrial and transport counters.The domestic institutions were seen net sellers as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.65% to 10,456.02 points.The Gulf retail investors were seen bearish in the main market, which had however touched an intraday high 10,517 points.About 51% of the traded stocks were in the red in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses widened to 2.11%.The Arab institutions were seen bearish, albeit at lower levels, in the main bourse, whose capitalisation shed QR2.69bn or 0.43% to QR622.08bn, mainly on account of mid and small cap segments.The Gulf institutions’ weakened net buying had its influence in the main market, which saw a total of 0.01mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.3mn changed hands across five deals.However, local retail investors were increasingly net buyers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than then main index in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index declined 0.65%, the All Share Index by 0.54% and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.54% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the higher side.The industrials sector index shed 1.42%, transport (1.2%), and banks and financial services (0.43%); while telecom gained 1.53%, insurance (0.15%), real estate (0.07%) and consumer goods and services (0.03%).Major shakers in the main market included Qatari German Medical Devices, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Industries Qatar, Al Khaleej Takaful, Barwa, Milaha and Gulf Warehousing.Nevertheless, Inma Holding, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Salam International, Mazaya Qatar, Medicare Group, Dlala, Widam Food, Qatar National Cement, Estithmar Holding, Ezdan and Ooredoo were among the movers in the main market.In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.The domestic institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR33.7mn compared with net buyers of QR25.48mn on May 24.The Gulf retail investors were net sellers to the extent of QR1.48mn against net buyers of QR1.72mn the previous day.The Arab institutions turned net profit takers to the tune of QR0.11mn compared with no major net exposure on Wednesday.The Gulf institutions’ net buying declined substantially to QR23.31mn against QR41.93mn on May 24.However, the Qatari individuals’ net buying strengthened significantly to QR50.68mn compared to QR2.41mn the previous day.The Arab individual investors were net buyers to the tune of QR6.72mn against net sellers of QR10.31mn on Wednesday.The foreign individuals’ net buying expanded perceptibly to QR4.62mn compared to QR0.39mn on May 24.The foreign institutions’ net selling weakened drastically to QR50.03mn against QR27.3mn the previous day.The main market saw a 17% increase in trade volumes to 326.45mn shares, 8% in value to QR753.54mn and 5% in deals to 22,806.

Doha's present fixed exchange rate policy with the dollar works well and is appropriate for the economy despite sticky global inflation; according to the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Governor HE Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saoud al-Thani."We believe that this policy (of fixed exchange parity the Greenback) is appropriate for Qatar's economy and we don't see any need immediate need to change it," the central banker told the second day of the third Qatar Economic Forum 2023, powered by Bloomberg.He said the International Monetary Fund has also said fixed exchange with the dollar is appropriate for the Gulf economies.“Our main export is energy and our revenues are in dollars. So it is appropriate to keep our currency pegged to dollar,” he said.Moreover, the QCB official said the dollar would remain a primary currency for international trade settlement due to its global acceptance and stability, backed by strong economy in the US.On inflation, which according to Sheikh Bandar “is an enemy to the economy”; he said in the last few quarters, there has been improvement on the general price levels.Stressing on the need for striking a balance between price stability, growth and financial stability; he said the central banks, across the world, have no other choice other than bringing inflation to its targeted level.Highlighting that inflation is now in a downward trajectory, Sheikh Bandar said “it is sticky”, implying that it is going to decline in a slower rate and it will take longer time to reach the central banks’ targeted level.Many central banks have resorted to inflation targeting to control the general rise in the price level. A central bank estimates a projected, or target inflation rate and then attempts to steer actual inflation towards that target, using interest rate changes.Since the Qatari riyal is pegged to the dollar, the governor however said there have been instances when QCB had not increased the interest rates when the US Federal Reserve hiked its benchmark rate.Finding that the spread between dollar deposits and QMR deposit rates have declined to 25 basis points at present from as high as 100 basis points; Sheikh Bandar said “we see it as useful and effective for our economy at this point of time.”Qatar has seen a cumulative 4.75% or 475 basis points hike in interest rates since January 2022 after the central bank recently effected a 0.25% or 25 basis points increase in its key rates in view of the US Federal Reserve revising its reference rate in similar proportion.The repo rate in Qatar has increased by a cumulative 4.75% or 475 bps from the beginning of 2022. Since January 2022, QCB repo rate has risen from 1% to 1.25% in March, then to 1.75% in May, 2.5% in June, 3.25% in July, 4% in September, 4.75% in November, 5.25% in December, 5.5% in March and the 5.75% in May 2023. In 2022, the average repo rate was 2.77% and it was 1% in 2021.

The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) economies can assume a global role in tackling international challenges in view of the region’s greater say in energy stabilisation, be it in prices or quantities; according to HE the Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari."Our energy supplies further contribute to the region's significant role in stabilising energy prices and quantities. This role is becoming increasingly crucial, and the region is emerging as a major player in this regard," al-Kuwari told the second day of the third Qatar Economic Forum, powered by Bloomberg.Stressing that people are now paying attention to the region; he said Qatar recently hosted a mega event, the FIFA World Cup and for a country in this region to successfully organise such an event speaks volumes."We possess numerous advantages here, including top-notch infrastructure and a strategic location at the heart of the world, connecting the East and the West," he said.Highlighting that the GCC countries have made substantial investments in creating a business environment that is conducive to easy business operations and favourable for FDI (foreign direct investment); the minister said this achievement is not a result of overnight efforts but a result of a long-term strategic approach."As a result, you can witness the region outperforming many advanced economies," al-Kuwari said.The global economy is facing enormous challenges, be it GDP (gross domestic product) growth, inflation, or debt, according to him."When we examine the world and the GCC region, it's like observing two distinct realities. We firmly believe that we can contribute and assume a global role," he said.In this regard, he highlighted Saudi Arabia's significant role in the G20 and Qatar's active participation in both political and economic spheres."The world has changed, and the GCC is now playing a distinct and impactful role, shouldering its responsibilities,” the finance minister said.Asked how the surpluses would be used by the country, al-Kuwari said the country has developed a long-term fiscal policy framework, which has a clear mandate on how to use the surpluses in terms of allocation to Qatar Investment Authority or Qatar Central Bank reserves.In case of deficits, he said the country has cushions and if there is any need to issue debt, the sovereign would do so.

Doha, which saw foreign direct investments (FDI) inflow of QR30bn in 2022, has a stronger pipeline of projects and the country could potentially become hub for the FDI into high growth Central and South Asian and African markets, according to a top official of the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar)."The (FDI) pipeline is stronger than ever," IPA Qatar chief executive officer Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani told a panel session at the third Qatar Economic Forum, powered by Bloomberg.Doha cloud region is expected to drive increased economic activity and is estimated to contribute a cumulative $18.9bn in higher gross economic output to Qatar’s economy between 2023 and 2030 and support the creation of 25,000 jobs in 2030 alone.Highlighting that the GCC or Gulf Co-operation Council has been the bright spot, especially when it comes to FDI; he said Qatar last year reported $29.78bn inflows into 135 projects, creating employment around 14,000 jobs."What is really interesting to notice is that across the 135 projects, oil and gas make up around 9% and the majority went into business services such as information, communication and technology (ICT), healthcare and different diversified sectors," he said.Within the business services, software and IT services and financial services followed with each attracting 27% and 12% of the total projects, respectively.Sheikh Ali said the FIFA World Cup in 2022 had acted as a heavy-lifting for the country's stature in the international markets in terms of recognition, attractiveness and ease of doing business."This ($29.78bn FDI) inflows that came into Qatar seek to establish hub for the region and to serve the local economy. Qatar, like any other small country, needs to have outbound approach to FDI. Qatar has a great market but there is an ability to scale it partnerships whether in the buy or sell side," he said.The IPA Qatar chief said Qatar should be viewed as a launching pad (for FDI) as the country is in the midst of high growth regions such as Central and South Asia, Africa, and Gulf, which itself is a "stable neutral platform for trade and investments".Investments originating from the US accounted for almost 44% of the total FDI in 2022, with projects valued at $13bn; followed by those from the UK, Italy and France, with each accounting for 21.7% ($6.47bn), 21.2% ($6.32bn) and 11.8% ($3.51bn), respectively.In 2022, projects from these four countries constituted nearly 98% of total FDI projects recorded,Sheikh Ali said Qatar's growth story encompasses development of its oil and gas sectors to infrastructure such as airports, ports, road and telecommunications but the next phase is on the development of human capital and the country's policies regarding this has started bearing fruits."Businesses come here not just because of energy competitiveness but because of the human capital and that builds on our value proposition," he said.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has committed QR1bn for establishing a permanent market-making programme at the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), which is set to attract more listings, introduce more ETFs or exchange traded funds and derivatives.This move by the country's sovereign wealth fund comes after the QSE saw the largest foreign investment flows in its history in 2022.The commitment is set to run over the next five years and will cover 90% of the size of the market capitalisation listed on the QSE, offering an economic incentive by way of a rebate to lower trading costs for established market makers.The permanent programme will help enhance liquidity in the market, improve price discovery, and diversify the capital markets in Qatar.Through increased investor confidence, the programme will support to attract further foreign asset managers to invest in Qatar.The QIA’s commitment to deepening its capital market is an important step to attracting foreign asset managers to invest in Qatar, and to stimulate retail participation that will help diversify and broaden the market. This QIA-sponsored market making initiative is a first step towards this goal and helps to further develop the Qatari financial markets.Higher liquidity will further attract investors into the market while improving price discovery and boosting investor confidence.The local bourse had recently amended the list of securities eligible for the market making to include more stocks.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) on Monday fell more than 14 points, dragged mainly by the profit booking from domestic and foreign institutions.The industrials and banking counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.13% lower at 10,637.41 points.The foreign individuals were seen bearish in the main market, which had touched an intraday high 10,697 points.The Gulf retail investors were also seen net sellers, albeit at lower levels, in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses widened to 0.41%.However, the Gulf institutions were seen increasingly into net buying in the main bourse, whose capitalisation grew QR0.81bn or 0.13% to QR630.99bn, mainly on account of microcap segments.The Arab individuals were also increasingly net buyers in the main market, which saw a total of 1.79mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR4.22mn changed hands across 88 deals.Four of the seven sectors experienced buying support in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index made gains vis-à-vis declines in the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index declined 0.13% and All Share Index by 0.07%, while Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) rose 0.13% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the higher side.The industrials sector index shed 0.58%, banks and financial services (0.29%) and consumer goods and services (0.01%); while real estate gained 3.18%, transport (0.74%), insurance (0.58%) and telecom (0.17%).Major shakers in the main market included Qatar Oman Investment, Alijarah Holding, Al Khaleej Takaful, Estithmar Holding, Qatari German Medical Devices, Lesha Bank, Aamal Company and Vodafone Qatar. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, QLM, Beema, United Development Company, Ezdan, Dlala, Mekdam Holding, Qamco and Mazaya Qatar were among the gainers in the main market.The domestic institutions’ net selling increased substantially to QR42.61mn compared to QR0.06mn on May 21.The foreign funds turned net sellers to the tune of QR27.3mn against net buyers of QR1.41mn the previous day.The foreign individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR3.38mn compared with net buyers of QR1.12mn on Sunday.The Gulf retail investors were net profit takers to the tune of QR0.85mn against net buyers of QR2.36mn on May 21.However, the Qatari individuals turned net buyers to the extent of QR37.11mn compared with net sellers of QR17.65mn the previous day.The Gulf institutions’ net buying strengthened considerably to QR28.98mn against QR6.49mn on Sunday.The Arab individual investors’ net buying increased perceptibly to QR8.05mn compared to QR6.25mn on May 21.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net buyers to the tune of QR0.1mn the previous day.The main market saw a 3% increase in trade volumes to 457.62mn shares, 19% in value to QR853.88mn and 47% in deals to 25,699.

Qatar's consumer price index (CPI) inflation is expected to average to 3% this year, which is below 9.9% projected in the Arab world and 3.3% in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, according to Kamco Invest.The country's inflation is slated to further decline to 2.7% in 2024 compared to 7.7% and 2.3% in the Arab and the GCC regions respectively, said Kamco Invest in its report.In 2023, inflation in Bahrain is expected to be 2.2%, Kuwait 3.3%, Oman 1.9%, Saudi Arabia 2.8% and the UAE 3.4%. By 2024, inflation in Bahrain is estimated to be 2.2%, Kuwait 2.6%, Oman 2.4%, Saudi Arabia 2.3% and the UAE 2%.Kamco Invest said Qatar’s inflation rate increased by 4% year-on-year in March-2023, recording its lowest mark since February-2022. Qatar’s inflation rate growth was driven by an overall prices increase across the eight categories or sub-indices of its CPI."The overall trend in Qatar’s inflation is projected downwards," the report said.In its latest consultation report, the International Monetary Fund forecasts for Qatar an inflation rate of 3% in 2023 and 2.7% in 2024. On the other hand, the fund also predicts that Qatar’s real GDP (gross domestic product) growth would slow down from 4.2% in 2022 to 2.4% in 2023 and further to 1.8% in 2024.Inflation remained relatively low in the GCC in 2022 despite averaging higher than estimates in 3.3% compared to annual estimate of 3.1%, according to the IMF's Regional Economic Outlook. Moreover, the IMF expects GCC inflation to fall in the next two years, pencilling an average of 2.9% in 2023 and 2.3% in 2024.Lower inflation in GCC countries is mainly attributed to governmental intervention such as price caps on certain products, subsidies on key products or utilities and the strengthening of the US dollar on which all GCC countries have pegged their currencies except for Kuwait, which has linked its currency to a basket of currencies including the dollar.In terms of sectoral inflation trends, the food and beverages subcategory has been one of the most important categories in terms of weight or growth in GCC inflation performance.Among the GCC countries, inflation growth in the housing subcategory was mixed albeit leaning to positive year-on-year growth in March-2023. Qatar’ housing costs rose by 8.7% on an annualised basis in March-2023, the highest growth among the GCC countries.Finding that in terms of the communication subcategory, the picture was still mixed; it said both Bahrain and Qatar recorded decline in costs in their communications inflation at -2.5% and -4.8% year-on-year in March-2023, respectively.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Sunday saw its key index gain mere eight points although about 67% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors.Six of the seven sectors experienced buying interests as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.07% higher at 10,651.45 points.The market, which was rather skewed towards movers, had touched an intraday high 10,666 points.The Arab retail investors were seen net buyers in the main market, whose year-to-date losses truncated to 0.28%.The Gulf individuals turned bullish, albeit at lower levels, in the main bourse, whose capitalisation grew QR1.58bn or 0.25% to QR630.18bn, mainly on account of small and microcap segments.The foreign institutions and individuals were also seen net buyers in the main market, which saw a total of 0.5mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR1.24mn changed hands across 16 deals.The Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining faster than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index grew 0.43%, All Share Index by 0.21% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.43% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover fell amidst higher volumes.The real estate sector index shot up 1.65%, consumer goods and services (0.67%), transport (0.51%), industrials (0.36%), insurance (0.34%) and banks and financial services (0.11%); while telecom shrank 1.76%.Major gainers in the main market included Widam Food, Mazaya Qatar, Salam International Investment, Qatar Oman Investment, Dlala, Lesha Bank, Alijarah Holding, Qatari German Medical Devices, Baladna, Estithmar Holding and Ezdan.Nevertheless, Ooredoo, Al Meera, Doha Bank, Woqod, Nakilat and Industries Qatar were among the losers in the main market.The Arab individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR6.25mn compared with net sellers of QR0.12mn on May 18.The Gulf retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR2.36mn against net sellers of QR0.58mn last Thursday.The foreign funds turned net buyers to the tune of QR1.41mn compared with net sellers of QR31.3mn the previous trading day.The foreign individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR1.12mn against net profit takers of QR6.4mn on May 18.The Arab institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.1mn compared with no major net exposure last Thursday.The Qatari individuals’ net selling decreased substantially to QR17.65mn against QR41.05mn the previous trading day.However, the domestic funds were net sellers to the extent of QR0.06mn compared with net buyers of QR17.97mn on May 18.The Gulf institutions’ net buying decreased considerably to QR6.49mn against QR61.49mn last Thursday.The main market saw a 56% increase in trade volumes to 437.68mn shares but value fell less than 1% to QR716.54mn and deals by 25% to 17,464.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) remained under bearish spell this week which otherwise saw mixed trends in the global markets amidst the concerns over the US debt ceiling.The foreign institutions were increasingly net profit takers as the 20-stock Qatar Index lost 0.91% or 98 points this week which saw MSCI include Dukhan Bank under Qatar’s midcap index.The Arab individuals turned net profit takers this week which saw MSCI reclassify Masraf Al Rayan and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding under midcap from large cap segment.About 56% of the traded constituents were in the red this week which saw Doha Bank restructure operations in Abu Dhabi by merging its operations with Dubai branch.The Islamic equities were seen declining faster than the other indices this week which saw Nakilat liquefied natural gas carriers deliver 198 cargoes of estimated volume of 20.3mn metric tonnes with 100% reliability.The transport, real estate, consumer goods and insurance counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure this week which saw Aamal Company to expand its exports to wider region, including Asia.The Gulf institutions’ weakened net buying had its influence in the main market this week which saw Qatar’s consumer price index inflation fall 0.03% month-on-month in April 2023.The domestic institutions continued to be net sellers but with lesser intensity this week which saw which saw Qatar’s industrial production index surge 4.8% year-on-year in March 2023.The local individual investors also continued to be bearish but with lesser vigour this week which saw a total of 0.87mn Masraf Al Rayan-sponsored exchange-traded fund QATR worth QR2.13mn trade across 48 deals.The Gulf retail investors were seen lesser into net selling this week which saw as many as 0.04mn Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.43mn change hands across 37 transactions.Market capitalisation was seen eroding QR0.41bn or 0.07% to QR628.6bn on the back of microcap segments this week which saw the banking and real estate sectors together constitute more than 57% of the total trade volume in the main market.The Total Return Index shrank 0.91%, the All Share Index by 0.51%, and the All Islamic Index by 1.28% this week, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The transport sector index plummeted 2.88%, realty (2.81%), consumer goods and services (1.16%), insurance (0.98%) and industrials (0.48%); while telecom gained 0.75% and banks and financial services (0.02%) this week which saw no trading of treasury bills.Major losers in the main market included Nakilat, QLM, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar, Commercial Bank, United Development Company, Masraf Al Rayan, Baladna, Qatar Electricity and Water, Beema, Gulf Warehousing and Milaha. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value this week.Nevertheless, Dlala, Qatari German Medical Devices, Inma Holding, Widam Food, Lesha Bank, QNB, Doha Bank, Dukhan Bank, Medicare Group, Gulf International Services, Estithmar Holding and Qamco were among the gainers this week.The foreign institutions’ net selling increased substantially to QR115.03mn compared to QR32.52mn the week ended May 11.The Arab retail investors were net sellers to the tune of QR19.66mn against net buyers of QR6.6mn the previous week.The foreign individuals’ net profit booking grew perceptibly to QR2.3mn compared to QR1.36mn a week ago.The Gulf institutions’ net buying declined markedly to QR205.52mn against QR218.99mn the week ended May 11.However, the domestic funds’ net selling decreased significantly to QR23.07mn compared to QR102.32mn the previous week.The local retail investors’ net profit booking shrank drastically to QR43.63mn against QR78.39mn a week ago.The Gulf individuals’ net profit booking weakened noticeably to QR1.84mn compared to QR10.91mn the week ended May 11.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net sellers to the tune of QR0.09mn the previous week.The main market witnessed a 24% contraction in trade volumes to 1.1mn shares and 3% in value to QR3.1bn but on 8% jump in deals to 108,937.

The Qatar Stock Exchange on Thursday declined 38 points with local retail investors increasingly resorting to net profit booking.A higher than average selling pressure in the transport sector was visible as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.35% lower at 10,643.94 points.The market, which was skewed towards movers, had touched an intraday high 10,700 points.The foreign institutions were seen net sellers in the main market, whose year-to-date losses widened to 0.35%.The foreign individuals turned bearish in the main bourse, whose capitalisation was up QR0.08bn or 0.01% to QR628.6bn, mainly on account of microcap segments.More than 54% of the traded constituents were seen extending gains to investors in the main market, which saw a total of 0.06mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.18mn changed hands across 13 deals.However, the Gulf institutions were increasingly net buyers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index shed 0.35%, the All Share Index by 0.12% and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.51% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The transport sector index tanked 1.22%, consumer goods and services (0.31%), banks and financial services (0.19%), real estate (0.14%) and telecom (0.1%); whereas insurance gained 1.55% and industrials (0.22%).Major losers in the main market included QLM, Milaha, QIIB, Alijarah Holding, Woqod, Nakilat and Mannai Corporation. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatari German Medical Devices, Lesha Bank, Dlala, Inma Holding, Doha Insurance, Medicare Group, Gulf International Services, Estithmar Holding, Qamco, Qatar Insurance and Al Khaleej Takaful were among the gainers in the main market.The Qatari individuals’ net selling increased perceptibly to QR41.05mn compared to QR36.36mn on May 17.The foreign funds turned net sellers to the tune of QR31.3mn against net buyers of QR28.72mn the previous dayThe foreign individuals were net profit takers to the extent of QR6.4mn compared with net buyers of QR1.01mn on Wednesday.However, the Gulf institutions’ net buying increased substantially to QR61.49mn against QR45.76mn on May 17.The domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR17.97mn compared with net sellers of QR35.7mn the previous day.The Arab individuals’ net selling weakened markedly to QR0.12mn against QR1.96mn on Wednesday.The Gulf retail investors’ net profit booking shrank perceptibly to QR0.58mn compared to QR1.46mn on May 17.The Arab institutions continued to have no major net exposure for the seventh consecutive session.The main market saw a 12% increase in trade volumes to 280.65mn shares and 8% in value to QR719.9mn but on an 8% fall in deals to 23,155.

Fast expansion in hydrocarbons extraction and higher production in food, non-refined petroleum products and beverages led Qatar's industrial production to surge 4.8% on an annualised basis in March 2023, according to official data.The country's industrial production index soared 4.9% month-on-month in the review period, according to figures released by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).The PSA introduced IPI, a short-term quantitative index that measures the changes in the volume of production of a selected basket of industrial products over a given period, with respect to a base period 2013.The mining and quarrying index, which has a relative weight of 82.46%, saw a 6% expansion on a yearly basis owing to a 6% increase in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas and 8.3% in other mining and quarrying sectors.On a monthly basis, the index shot up 5% on account of a 5% jump in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas but other mining and quarrying sectors shrank 2.1% in the review period.However, the manufacturing index, with a relative weight of 15.85%, was down 1% year-on-year this March as there was an 11.3% contraction in the production of cement and other non-metallic mineral products, 9.1% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, 2.6% in chemicals and chemical products, and 1.4% in rubber and plastics products.Nevertheless, there was a 12.8% surge in the production of food products, 6.9% in refined petroleum products, 6.2% in beverages, and 2.4% in basic metals in the review period.On a monthly basis, the manufacturing index zoomed 3.8% owing to an 8.9% increase in the production of food products, 6.5% in beverages, 6% in chemicals and chemical products, 3.7% in refined petroleum products, andv0.9% in cement and other non-metallic mineral products in March 2023.However, there was a 2.5% decrease in the production of basic metals, 1.9% in printing and reproduction of recorded media and 1.1% in rubber and plastics products in the review period.Electricity, which has a 1.16% weight in the IPI basket, saw its index zoom 8.5% and 13.2% on an annualised and monthly basis respectively in March 2023.In the case of water, which has a 0.53% weight, the index was seen gaining 0.9% and 12.8% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively in the review period.

Doha attracted foreign direct investments (FDI) to the tune of $29.78bn during 2022, which was almost 25 times the value of FDI projects the year before, according to the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar).Investments originating from the US accounted for almost 44% of the total FDI in 2022, with projects valued at $13bn; followed by those from the UK, Italy and France, with each accounting for 21.7% ($6.47bn), 21.2% ($6.32bn) and 11.8% ($3.51bn), respectively, the IPA Qatar said in its annual report for 2022.In 2022, projects from these four countries constituted nearly 98% of total FDI projects recorded, the report said."Last year saw us forge ahead on multiple fronts and across sectors and geographies. It has demonstrated the resilience of the country’s economy, established through a long-term strategy and decades of prudent investments," said HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Abdullah al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of IPA Qatar.A total of 135 FDI projects were announced in 2022, increasing from 82 projects in the previous year. Business services accounted for almost one-third of the total projects. Software and IT services and financial services followed with each attracting 27% and 12% of the total projects, respectively.Coal and oil and gas were also among the top sectors that attracted FDI projects. This is mostly due to the global energy crisis aggravated by the war in Ukraine.Highlighting that FDI projects are estimated to have created a total of 13,972 jobs in 2022; the report said this is more than twice the number of jobs created in the year before.This year, close to two-thirds of the new jobs were created in the coal, as well as the oil and gas sectors. Software & IT, Business Services and automotive OEM industries also contributed to job creation, it added.Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, CEO, IPA Qatar, said “2022 was a solid steppingstone for IPA Qatar, marked by substantial growth and deepened engagement with the international investment community, which saw us partner with numerous organisations in line with Qatar’s economic diversification efforts."In the second quarter of 2022, Qatar’s exceptional growth in FDI accounted for a whopping 71% of investments into the Middle East.Furthermore, Qatar topped the FDI Standout Watchlist, a study conducted by fDi Intelligence that evaluated the macroeconomic and FDI trajectory of the world's top 50 FDI destinations using data from the International Monetary Fund and foreign investment monitor fDi Markets. "This truly demonstrates the country's robust business environment and abundance of opportunities for aspiring investors and entrepreneurs," IPA Qatar said.Highlighting that the US, the UK and Turkiye topped the countries with regard to partnering with Qatar; the report said as many as 51 leads were generated from the US, 15 from the UK and 12 from Turkiye.The IPA Qatar established and expanded key partnerships with organisations from the region and globally, including Iberdrola, Microsoft, Invest India and Business France, among others, as part of efforts to strengthen the FDI activities.