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Qatar's inflation-adjusted (real) economy is estimated to have grown 1.2% year-on-year during the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, mainly on faster expansion in the hydrocarbons sector, according to the official data.The real gross domestic product (GDP) rose faster at 4% on a quarterly basis during the review period as the non-oil sectors grew much faster than hydrocarbons, according to the Planning and Statistics Authority data.The mining and quarrying sector, under which hydrocarbons fall, is estimated to have grown 2.3% year-on-year and the non-mining and quarrying sector by 0.6% to take the overall real GDP to QR177.33bn during Q3-2023.The agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors grew 1.7% on an annualised basis in Q3-2023, but was down 1.5% quarter-on-quarter.On a quarterly basis, the real GDP (at constant prices) growth during Q3-2023 was on account of a 0.8% rise in the mining sector and 6% in non-mining and quarrying sector.Within the non-hydrocarbons sector, the accommodation and food service segment is estimated to have expanded 13% year-on-year in Q3-2023, followed by transport and storage by 7.1%, manufacturing 1.8%, real estate by 1.5% and wholesale and retail trade 0.5%.Nevertheless, information and communication saw a 17.8% plunge year-on-year, construction 3%, finance and insurance 1.7% and utilities 1% during the review period.On a quarterly basis, the accommodation and food services zoomed 38.2%, utilities 18.5%, wholesale and retail trade 18.1%, finance and insurance 10.7%, construction 8.2%, information and communication 7.6%, transport and storage 5.4% and manufacturing 4.5%; even as realty declined 2.4% during Q3-2023.On a nominal basis (at current prices), Qatar's GDP is estimated to have declined 25.7% on an annualised basis but shot up 6.2% quarter-on-quarter at the end of Q3-2023.The mining and non-mining sectors plummeted 25.7% and 1.7% year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter basis respectively during Q3-2023.On a quarterly basis, both mining and non-mining sectors witnessed 8.7% and 4.6% expansion, leading to a growth in nominal economy during Q3-2023.Within the non-hydrocarbons sector (in nominal terms), there was 13.2% plunge in the manufacturing, 6.9% in construction and 6% in information and communication; whereas finance and insurance saw 20.6% surge, utilities 11.1%, accommodation and food services 8.7%, realty 3.4%, wholesale and retail trade 1.8% and transport and storage 0.3% during Q2-2023.On a quarterly basis in nominal terms, the accommodation and food services segment shot up 37.4%, utilities 17.8%, manufacturing 10.2%, information and communication 8.9%, finance and insurance 8.6% and transport and storage 6.4% during the review period.However, the construction and real estate sectors recorded 5.5% and 4.6% contraction in nominal terms on a quarterly basis during Q3-2023.The import duties, on real terms, are estimated to have declined 10.9% year-on-year but rose 2.6% quarter-on-quarter at the end of Q3-2023.On nominal terms, the import duties reported a 9.8% contraction year-on-year, whereas it shot up 2.4% on a quarterly basis during the review period.

The considerable growth in net earnings of consumer goods and banking sectors helped the listed companies’ total net profits reach QR13.1bn in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024,.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[165545]**according to the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) data.The industrials sector was seen bettering its net earnings in Q1-2024, which saw total net profits of the listed companies grow 5.83% against a 10.04% decline the comparable period of 2023.The consumer goods and services sector, which has 11 listed entities, saw a 29.51% year-on-year jump in net profit to QR481.14mn in January-March 2024 compared to a 17.54% dip the year ago period. The sector contributed 3.66% to the overall net profitability in the review period.The banks and financial services sector, which has 13 listed entities, reported a 9.42% year-on-year increase in net profit to QR7.55bn against a 1.47% jump the previous year period. The sector contributed 57.63% of the total net profits of the listed companies in Q1-2024.The banking and financial services and the industrials sectors together contributed more than three-fourth of the total net earnings of the listed companies in the first three months of 2024.The industrials sector, which has 10 listed constituents, saw a marginal 0.11% year-on-year growth in net profit to QR2.38bn in January-March 2024 against a 44.18% decline the year-ago period. The sector contributed 18.17% to the overall net profitability of the listed entities in the review period.The real estate sector, which has four listed entities, saw a 2.17% year-on-year contraction in net earnings to QR413.25mn in Q1-2024 against 10.43% shrinkage the previous-year period. The sector constituted 3.13% of the overall net profitability in the review period.The insurance sector, which has seven listed constituents, reported a 3.37% growth year-on-year to QR377.57mn compared to 79%surge in the comparable period of 2023. The sector contributed 2.98% of the overall net profits of the listed companies in the review period.The transport sector, which has three listed constituents, saw its net earnings grow 1.9% year-on-year to QR835.82mn compared to a 2.61% jump in the corresponding period of 2023. The sector contributed 6.41% to the total net profits in January-March 2024.The telecom sector, which has two listed constituents, saw a 2.83% decline in total net profit to QR1.06bn in January-March 2024 compared to a 40.56% increase the year-ago period. The sector contributed 8.09% of the overall net profits in the review period.

Qatar's maritime sector witnessed a strong double digit growth in cargoes and vehicle imports (RORO) through its Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais ports in April this year, according to Mwani Qatar.The general and bulk cargo handled through the three ports amounted to 235,432 freight tonnes in April 2024, which surged 69.26% month-on-month but fell 5.78% on a yearly basis in the review period.Hamad Port – whose multi-use terminal is designed to serve the supply chains for the RORO, grains and livestock – handled as much as 92,400 freight tonnes of bulk and 122,765 freight tonnes of breakbulk in April this year.The three ports had seen a cumulative 602,782 freight tonnes of bulk and break-bulk cargoes in the first four months of this year.The cargo trends through the ports corroborates the Qatar Financial Center's purchasing managers' index, which has maintained that the country's non-oil private sector is in the pink of its health and the 12-month outlook remains bright.The three ports handled 10,432 RORO in April 2024, which registered 74.71% and 29.94% growth month-on-month and year-on-year respectively. Hamad Port alone handled 10,411 units in April this year.QTerminals had set a new industry standard for RORO handling in April 2024 when it recorded the highest number of RORO units from a single vessel in the port's history. The record-breaking RORO handling comprised a diverse array of heavy machinery, chain equipment, and small vehicles, reflecting the port's versatility in handling a wide range of cargo typesQatar's automobile sector has been witnessing stronger sales, notably in heavy equipment, private motorcycles and private vehicles, according to the data of the Planning and Statistics Authority.The three ports had seen a total of 29,632 RORO movements during January-April 2024.As many as 192 ships had called on Qatar's three ports in April 2024, which was lower by 19.33% and 17.24% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively.Hamad Port, whose strategic geographical location offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf, supporting countries such as Kuwait and Iraq and south towards Oman, saw as many as 117 vessels call (excluding military) on the port in the review period.A total of 839 ships have called on three ports in January-April 2024.The container handling through the three ports stood at 87,005 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) in April 2024. Hamad Port, the largest eco-friendly project in the region and internationally recognised as one of the largest green ports in the world, alone handled 85,715 TEUs of containers handled this April.During the first four months of this year, as many as 438,569 TEUs of containers were handled by the three ports.The container terminals have been designed to address the increasing trade volume, enhancing ease of doing business as well as supporting the achievement of economic diversification, which is one of the most important goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.The building materials traffic through the three ports stood at 23,932 tonnes in April 2024, which plummeted 54.19% and 34.36% on monthly and annualised basis respectively. The three ports had seen a total of 166,817 tonnes of building materials handled in the first four months of this year.The three ports were seen handling 19,573 livestock in April 2024, which showed 83.49% and 72.11% plunge month-on-month and year-on-year respectively.

The curtains came down on the Arab Federation of Capital Markets (AFCM) conference, one of the largest events for exchanges and financial markets in the Middle East and North Africa or Mena region.Gathering more than 22 AFCM members, which includes chief executive officers of Mena-based stock exchanges, clearing houses and brokerage firms; the two-day conference addressed key challenges concerning sustainability and climate change, the T+0 settlement cycle, risk management, the growth of Islamic capital markets, the place for derivatives in the ecosystem, fintechs and digital assets.The conference attracted more than 250 attendees from Arab exchanges, clearing houses, financial market regulatory bodies, brokerage firms, investment fund managers, consultancy firms and other attendees.Earlier inaugurating the conference, HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani strongly pitched for collaboration among Arab financial market institutions to fortify the investment environment and promote integration.The event saw as many as nine panels discussions and more than 45 local, regional and international speakers to shed light on key themes and critical topics related to capital markets, from sustainability, carbon credits and climate change, IR & ESG practices, to Islamic capital markets and Fintech, to discuss the means of exchanging knowledge and expertise and enhance the opportunities to market listed entities across the region to investors, particularly foreign investors, in an effort to develop and enhance the region’s capital markets.Ahead of the conference, on April 28, ring-the-bell ceremony at Muscat Stock Exchange witnessed the handover of the federation’s presidency from Muscat Stock Exchange to Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE). During the presidency period, the QSE will lead the AFCM throughout the year 2024 and continue the efforts to further develop the federation and enable it to achieve its vision.The AFCM was established in June 1978, under the recommendation of the Arab Central Banks Conference, held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Jordan. The headquarters of AFCM is in Beirut, Lebanon.The AFCM is the Arab industry group for 17 exchanges, 8 clearing houses, and multiple affiliate members (financial institutions, brokerage firms and local industry associations) from all around the Arab region (the Gulf Co-operation Council, Levant and Arab African countries).The federation was set up to contribute to the development of regulations and promoting harmonised and proactive legislations, and exchanging viewpoints and providing opportunities for co-operation among members."There is no one-size-fits-all solution given the competing influences but I’m sure the fostering of collaboration characterised by the AFCM will continue to be a source of ideas, innovation, and inspiration for the region," said Abdulaziz Nasser al-Emadi, the acting chief executive officer of QSE and the present president of AFCM.Recognising the changing nature of the financial markets infrastructure sector, he said it means the leadership in the industry must be alive to challenges as well as opportunities whether that be in technology, regulation, the growth of private markets or the most testing economic backdrop seen since the financial crisis.

Ahead of the US Federal Reserve meeting, the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) on Tuesday fell about 17 points, mainly dragged by the real estate, insurance and transport 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[165545]**The local retail investors were seen increasingly into net selling as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.17% to 9,727.01 points, although it touched an intraday high of 9,790 points.The Gulf individuals were seen net profit takers in the main market, whose year-to-date losses widened to 10.19%.Some 50% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted QR0.69bn or 0.12% to QR565.6bn on account of microcap segments.The Gulf institutions continued to be net sellers but with lesser intensity in the main market, which saw as many as 0.03mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.12mn trade across 15 deals.The domestic funds were increasingly net buyers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Arab retail investors were also increasingly bullish in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the other indices in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The Total Return Index fell 0.17%, the All Share Index by 0.2% and the All Islamic Index by 0.34% in the main market.The realty sector index tanked 2.34%, insurance (1.04%), transport (0.44%), and banks and financial services (0.44%); while telecom gained 0.92%, industrials (0.09%) and consumer goods and services (0.06%).Major losers in the main market included Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, QLM, QIIB, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar, Dukhan bank, Baladna, Dlala, Qatar Islamic Insurance, Milaha and United Development Company.Nevertheless, Widam Food, Vodafone Qatar, Doha Insurance, Qatar German Medical Devices, Gulf International Services, Estithmar Holding and Nakilat were among the gainers in the main bourse.In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.The Qatari individual investors’ net selling increased significantly to QR29.42mn compared to QR14.22mn on April 29.The Gulf individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR3.14mn against net buyers of QR0.31mn the previous day.The foreign institutions’ net buying declined noticeably to QR9.86mn compared to QR12.42mn on Monday.However, the domestic institutions’ net buying strengthened noticeably to QR23.01mn against QR14.53mn on April 29.The Arab retail investors’ net buying expanded considerably to QR8.87mn compared to QR2.1mn the previous day.The foreign individuals turned net buyers to the extent of QR1.6mn against net sellers of QR0.1mn on Monday.The Gulf institutions’ net profit booking shrank markedly to QR10.79mn compared to QR15.05mn on April 29.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure for the sixth straight session.Trade volumes in the main market soared 23% to 191.45mn shares, value by 29% to QR536.54mn and deals by 30% to 18,621.The venture market saw a 68% plunge in trade volumes to 0.46mn equities, 69% in value to QR0.76mn and 59% in transactions to 61.

As much as $4tn a year funding is required to solve the problems of climate change, which is mere 4% of the total global market capitalisation, and the Arab region’s capital markets, which have had “significant” growth in the past decade, could play pivotal role, a top official of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (Iosco) said here yesterday.Addressing the Third Arab Capital Markets conference, organised by the Qatar Financial Market Authority (QFMA), in cooperation with the Union of Arab Securities Authorities (UASA) via videoconferencing, Iosco deputy secretary general Tajinder Singh said under sustainable financing, which is able to solve the problems of climate change, the funding needed is in the range of $4tn annually.Highlighting the funding requirement accounts for just 4% of the global market capitalisation; he said "so if 4% of the global market capitalisation was to be directed to this area, then that would be able to help in solving this (climate change) problem."Asserting that capital markets could play an effective role in solving global problems; Singh said the markets in the Arab region have experienced "significant" growth over the past decade and have "considerable" potential for further growth due to the young and growing population, urbanisation and natural resources.The conference, which was inaugurated by the Qatar Central Bank governor Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saoud al-Thani, brought together a number of economic and financial officials and decision-makers, leaders of Arab, regional and international financial institutions, a group of experts and financial analysts and major investors, as well as university professors and experts in the field of artificial intelligence, in addition to representatives of Arab and international regulatory authorities, and financial markets.In his keynote address, QFMA chief executive officer Dr. Tamy bin Ahmad al-Binali said the importance of capital markets is escalating "significantly" at the level of the international and national economy, due to their financing role and their effectiveness in attracting, redirecting and investing financial resources."Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of such markets, and work to develop their performance indicators, and this applies directly to the Arab capital markets, which face great challenges, and at the same time enjoy great opportunities for growth and development," he said.Al-Binali said the world is witnessing at this time rapid developments in various fields, especially in the high-tech sector, particularly in artificial intelligence and other technologies, which have left their direct and indirect effects on various aspects of economic activity and the financial sector in general and capital markets in particular."This led to the emergence of major opportunities to develop technologies and mechanisms of work in the capital markets, which will reflect positively on their financing role," he added.However, at the same time, technological developments have imposed new challenges, which cannot be dealt with using the same traditional tools, so the Arab capital markets find themselves in a technological reality full of opportunities, challenges and risks, which requires working to invest opportunities and face challenges, which will positively reflect on the stability of capital markets and their ability to carry out their functions and reduce the risks they may face, he said.

A higher than average selling pressure in five of the seven sectors on Thursday led the Qatar Stock Exchange to knock off more than 28 points in key index and as much as QR1.63bn in.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[165545]**capitalisation.Geopolitical tension continued to weigh on sentiments as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.29% to 9,637.59 points, although it touched an intraday high of 9,696 points.The Arab individuals were seen net profit takers in the main market, whose year-to-date losses widened further to 11.02%.About 73% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation lost 0.28% to QR560.83bn on account of microcap segments.The local retail investors’ substantially weakened net buying had its influence on the main market, which saw as many as 500 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR0.01mn trade across one deal.The foreign individuals were seen net sellers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The foreign institutions continued to be bearish but with lesser intensity in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the main barometer in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The Total Return Index shrank 0.29%, the All Share Index by 0.29% and the All Islamic Index by 0.35% in the main market.The realty sector index tanked 1.4%, consumer goods and services (0.94%), telecom (0.84%), transport (0.49%), industrials (0.48%) and insurance (0.21%); while banks and financial services were up 0.06%.Major losers in the main market included Al Faleh Educational Holding, Qatar Electricity and Water, QLM, Milaha, Woqod, Commercial Bank, Dlala, Qatar German Medical Devices, Mekdam Holding, Meeza, Industries Qatar, United Development Company, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar, Ooredoo and Gulf Warehousing.Nevertheless, Baladna, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Estithmar Holding, Qatar Islamic Bank, Lesha Bank and Nakilat were among the gainers in the main bourse.In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.The Arab retail investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR3.52mn compared with net buyers of QR1.45mn on April 24.The foreign individuals were net profit takers to the extent of QR0.6mn against net buyers of QR0.36mn on Wednesday.The Qatari individual investors net buying weakened drastically to QR12mn compared to QR78.49mn the previous day.However, the domestic institutions’ net buying strengthened substantially to QR14.59mn against QR0.68mn on April 24.The Gulf retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.32mn compared with net sellers of QR0.31mn on Wednesday.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking declined considerably to QR0.01mn against QR41.3mn the previous day.The Gulf institutions’ net selling shrank noticeably to QR22.8mn compared to QR39.4mn on April 24.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure for the third straight session.Trade volumes in the main market eased 14% to 147.03mn shares, value by 27% to QR431.57mn and deals by 12% to 15,137.The venture market witnessed flat trade volumes at 0.04mn equities but value shrank 20% to QR0.05mn amidst flat transactions at 5.

The Qatar Stock Exchange on Tuesday gained more than 46 points, lifted by buying interests, especially at the consumer goods, banking and transport counters..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[165545]**The Gulf institutions were seen net buyers as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.48% to 9,711.02 points, having hit an intraday high of 9,720 points.The domestic funds’ substantially weakened net selling pressure had its influence on the main market, whose year-to-date losses truncated to 10.34%.As much as 49% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR2.7bn or 0.48% to QR564.4bn on account of midcap segments.The local retail investors continued to be net buyers but with lesser vigour in the main market, which saw as many as 189 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR431 trade across one deal.The foreign institutions were seen increasingly into net selling in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Arab retail investors were net profit takers in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The Total Return Index gained 0.48%, the All Share Index by 0.5% and the All Islamic Index by 0.19% in the main market.The consumer goods and services sector index rose 0.83%, banks and financial services (0.79%), transport (0.66%), telecom (0.2%) and industrials (0.16%); while real estate declined 1.28% and insurance 0.04%.Major gainers in the main market included Dlala, Gulf International Services, Zad Holding, Milaha, QIIB, QNB and Woqod.Nevertheless, United Development Company, Meeza Holding, Qamco, Barwa and Widam Food were among the shakers in the main bourse.In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.The Gulf institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR6.75mn compared with net sellers of QR1.78mn on April 22.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking decreased substantially to QR15.06mn against QR60.17mn the previous day.However, the foreign institutions’ net selling strengthened markedly to QR29.66mn compared to QR20.68mn on Monday.The Arab individuals were net profit takers to the extent of QR5.28mn against net buyers of QR7.39mn on April 22.The Qatari individual investors’ net buying declined drastically to QR39.58mn compared to QR67.08mn the previous day.The foreign individual investors’ net buying weakened noticeably to QR3.26mn against QR5.93mn on Monday.The Gulf retail investors’ net buying eased perceptibly to QR0.39mn compared to QR1.74mn on April 22.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net buyers to the tune of QR0.51mn the previous day.Trade volumes in the main market fell 9% to 126.66mn shares and value by 11% to QR425.44mn, whereas deals were up about 1% to 15,674.The venture market’s trade volumes more than do0ubled to 0.1mn equities and value almost tripled to QR0.16mn on more than doubled transactions to 16.

Geopolitical tension in the region and uncertainties surrounding the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy played spoilsport in the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), which on Monday.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[165545]**plummeted more than 127 points and capitalisation eroded as much as QR6.73bn.The banks and consumer goods counters witnessed higher than average net profit booking as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell 1.3% to 9,664.86 points, although it touched an intraday high of 9,816 points.The domestic institutions were seen increasingly into net selling in the main market, whose year-to-date losses widened to 10.76%.About 71% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted 1.18% to QR561.7bn on account of large and small cap segments.The foreign funds were seen increasingly bearish in the main market, which saw as many as 2,783 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.02mn trade across five deals.The Gulf institutions turned net profit takers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.However, the local retail investors were increasingly net buyers in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.Both Arab and foreign individuals were increasingly bullish in the main bourse, which saw Islamic stock fall slower than the conventional ones.The Total Return Index shrank 1.3%, the All Share Index by 1.27% and the All Islamic Index by 1.05% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover grew amidst lower volumes.The banks and financial services sector index tanked 1.74%, consumer goods and services (1.34%), transport (1.27%), real estate (0.82%), industrials (0.66%), telecom (0.59%) and insurance (0.22%).Major losers in the main market included QIIB, Gulf International Services, QNB, Baladna, Qatar Islamic Bank, Masraf Al Rayan, Lesha Bank, Medicare Group, Woqod, Qatari Investors Group, Mazaya Qatar, Barwa, Nakilat and Milaha.In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Doha Insurance, Dlala, Meeza, Commercial Bank and Salam International Investment were among the gainers in the main market.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking increased substantially to QR60.17mn compared to QR14.53mn on April 21.The foreign institutions’ net selling strengthened significantly to QR20.68mn against QR6.26mn the previous day.The Gulf institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.78mn compared with net buyers of QR3.12mn on Sunday.However, the Qatari individuals’ net buying expanded drastically to QR67.08mn against QR11.75mn on April 21.The Arab individuals’ net buying shot up perceptibly to QR7.39mn compared to QR4.9mn the previous day.The foreign individual investors’ net buying rose sharply to QR5.93mn against QR1.74mn on Sunday.The Gulf retail investors were net buyers to the tune of QR1.74mn compared with net sellers of QR0.72mn on April 21.The Arab institutions were net buyers to the extent of QR0.51mn against no major net exposure for the last six straight sessions.Trade volumes in the main market eased 5% to 138.85mn shares, while value rose 34% to QR478.92mn but deals zoomed 35% to 15,568.The venture market saw a 67% plunge in trade volumes to 0.04mn, 67% in value to QR0.06mn and 42% in transactions to 7.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) on Sunday opened the week on a weaker note with its key index losing as much as 37 points on the back of selling pressure, especially at the.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[167006]**insurance, industrials and banking counters.The Gulf individuals were seen net sellers as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.38% to 9,792.41 points, although it touched an intraday high of 9,873 points.The local retail investors’ weakened net buying interests had its influence on the main market, whose year-to-date losses widened to 9.59%.More than 57% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted QR2.21bn or 0.39% to QR568.43bn on account of small and microcap segments.The Gulf funds' lower net buying also had its say in the main market, which saw as many as 4,280 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR9,891 trade across six deals.The foreign institutions continued to be net sellers but with lesser intensity in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The foreign retail investors were seen net buyers in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index shrank 0.37% and the All Share Index by 0.36%; while the All Islamic Index was flat in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The insurance sector index tanked 1.26%, industrials (0.97%), banks and financial services (0.54%) and telecom (0.02%); while real estate gained 1.2%, consumer goods and services (1.11%) and transport (0.66%).Major losers in the main market included Estithmar Holding, Industries Qatar, Doha Insurance, Qatar Oman Investment, Qatar Insurance, Qatar Islamic Bank, Salam International Investment, Mekdam Holding and Aamal Company.Nevertheless, Baladna, Meeza, Inma Holding, United Development Company, Dukhan Bank and Mannai Corporation were among the gainers in the main bourse.In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.The Gulf retail investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR0.72mn compared with net buyers of QR0.48mn on April 18.The Qatari individuals net buying declined noticeably to QR11.75mn against QR25.58mn the previous trading day.The Gulf institutions’ net buying weakened markedly to QR3.12mn compared to QR6.77mn last Thursday.The Arab individual investors’ net buying shrank perceptibly to QR4.9mn against QR7.46mn on April 18.However, the foreign individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR1.74mn compared with net sellers of QR0.9mn the previous trading day.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking decreased substantially to QR14.53mn against QR27.46mn last Thursday.The foreign institutions’ net selling decreased significantly to QR6.26mn compared to QR10.92mn on April 18.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure for the sixth straight session.Trade volumes in the main market eased 10% to 146mn shares, value by 30% to QR357.62mn and deals by 36% to 11,538.The venture market saw a 52% plunge in trade volumes to 0.12mn, 53% in value to QR0.18mn and 69% in transactions to 12.

The global concerns over the US Federal Reserve’s views that restrictive monetary policy may last longer had cast its shadow on the Qatar Stock Exchange, which closed .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[166087]** this week on a lower note. The industrials and banking sectors witnessed higher than average selling pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell 0.95% this week which saw Qatar's consumer price index inflation decline 1.4% month-on-month this March. The domestic funds were seen increasingly into net profit booking this week which saw Qatar's industrial production index jump 0.4% year-on-year in February 2024. “The index remains below all MAs on the weekly chart, while a cross over the resistance line at 10,300 points would be the first improvement sign that should lead to 10,830 points, knowing that a close above this will target 11,130 points,” said a technical analysis note of Kamco Invest. The foreign institutions were seen increasingly bearish in the main market this week which saw Qatar Islamic Bank report a 5.5% year-on-year growth in net profit to QR955mn in the first three months of this year. The Gulf individuals’ increased net selling had its influence on the main bourse this week which saw Qatari Investors Group register net profit of QR43.5mn during January-March 2024. The foreign retail investors continued to be net profit takers but with lesser intensity in the main market this week which saw a total of 0.2mn Masraf Al Rayan-sponsored exchange-traded fund QATR worth QR0.46mn trade across 26 deals. The local retail investors were seen net buyers in the main bourse this week which saw as many as 0.01mn Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.09mn change hands across 10 transactions. The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main market this week which saw the industrials and banks sectors together constitute about 64% of the total trade volumes. Market capitalisation eroded QR5.66bn or 0.98% to QR570.64bn on the back of mid and small cap segments this week which saw no trading of sovereign bonds. Trade volumes and turnover were on the increase in both the main and venture markets this week which saw no trading of treasury bills. The Total Return Index shed 0.96%, the All Share Index by 0.86% and the All Islamic Index by 0.36% this week. The industrials sector index tanked 1.83%, banks and financial services (1.31%), telecom (0.43%), consumer goods and services (0.42%) and insurance (0.13%); while transport and real estate gained 2.8% and 1.12% respectively this week. Major losers in the main market included Qatari Investors Group, Commercial Bank, Qatar Islamic Insurance, Industries Qatar, Alijarah Holding, Qatar Islamic Bank, QNB, Ahlibank Qatar, Woqod, Qatar German Medical Devices, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Ezdan and Mazaya Qatar. In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value this week. Nevertheless, Meeza, Baladna, Gulf Warehousing, Medicare Group, Milaha, QIIB, Qatar Oman Investment, Widam Food, Mekdam Holding, Aamal Company, Qamco, United Development Company and Nakilat were among the gainers in the main bourse this week. The domestic funds’ net selling strengthened drastically to QR68.03mn compared to QR2.18mn the week ended April 11. The foreign institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR67.42mn against net buyers of QR17.68mn the previous week. The Gulf individuals’ net profit booking increased perceptibly to QR1.15mn compared to QR0.62mn a week ago. However, the Gulf institutions’ net buying surged drastically to QR61.81mn against QR13.01mn the week ended April 11. The Qatari individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR58.05mn compared with net sellers of QR10.08mn the previous week. The Arab individual investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR17.37mn against net profit takers of QR12.21mn a week ago. The foreign retail investors’ net selling weakened noticeably to QR0.62mn compared to QR5.62mn the week ended April 11. The Arab institutions continued to have no major net exposure. The main market witnessed trade volumes more than tripled to 778.71mn shares and value more than triple to QR2.35bn and deals also more than triple to 80,908 this week. In the venture market, trade volumes more than doubled to 0.77mn equities and value also more than doubled to QR1.16mn on almost tripled transactions to 108.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) on Wednesday treaded a flat path despite five of the seven sectors extending gains..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[165545]**The Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled at 9,853.25 points, recovering from an intraday low of 9,820 points.The local retail investors were also seen net buyers but with lesser vigour in the main market, whose year-to-date losses stood at 9.02%.As much as 50% of the traded constituents extended gains in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR0.72bn or 0.13% to QR572.51bn on account of microcap segments.The real estate, transport, banking and insurance counters witnessed higher than average demand in the main market, which saw as many as 0.03mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR0.03mn trade across four deals.The foreign institutions’ substantially lower net selling had its influence in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The domestic institutions’ weakened net profit booking had its say in the main bourse, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index was rather unchanged, while the All Share Index was up 0.1% and the All Islamic Index by 0.08% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The realty sector index gained 1.34%, transport (0.44%), banks and financial services (0.33%), insurance (0.19%) and consumer goods and services (0.04%); while industrials and telecom declined 0.69% and 0.19% respectively.Major gainers in the main market included Al Khaleej Takaful, Widam Food, Estithmar Holding, Inma Holding, Qatar Oman Investment, QNB, Masraf Al Rayan, Medicare Group, Mannai Corporation, Baladna, Barwa and United Development Company.Nevertheless, Qatari Investors Group, Commercial Bank, Qamco, Meeza, Gulf Warehousing, Industries Qatar and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding were among the losers in the main bourse. In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.The foreign institutions’ net selling declined significantly to QR4.89mn compared to QR27.38mn on April 16.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking eased marginally to QR10.68mn against QR11.8mn the previous day.However, the Arab individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.05mn compared with net buyers of QR0.27mn on Tuesday.The Gulf retail investors were net sellers to the extent of QR0.38mn against net buyers of QR0.07mn on April 16.The Gulf institutions’ net buying declined markedly to QR12.67mn compared to QR21.23mn the previous day.The Qatari individual investors’ net buying weakened noticeably to QR2.94mn against QR14.47mn on Tuesday.The foreign retail investors’ net buying shrank perceptibly to QR1.38mn compared to QR2.52mn on April 16.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure for the fourth straight session.Trade volumes in the main market tanked 12% to 132.92mn shares, value by 26% to QR365.13mn and deals by 5% to 14,628.

Higher extraction of hydrocarbons as well as production of chemicals and food products led Qatar's industrial production index (IPI) jump 0.4% year-on-year this February, according to official statistics.The country's IPI, however, fell 8.2% on a monthly basis 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 of 2013.The mining and quarrying index, which has a relative weight of 82.46%, shot up 1% on a yearly basis due to 1% jump in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas; even as there was 7.7% contraction in other mining and quarrying segments.The sector index had seen a 9.5% contraction month-on-month in the review period owing to 9.5% plunge in extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas; whereas there was a 2.1% increase in other mining and quarrying segments.The manufacturing index, with a relative weight of 15.85%, nevertheless fell 3.1% on a yearly basis on a 21.9% drop in the production of basic metals, 17.2% in refined petroleum products, 9.1% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, 5% in rubber and plastics products, 3.8% in beverages and 0.7% in cement and other non-metallic mineral products; even as there was a 5.3% surge in chemicals and chemical products and 2.9% in food products in February 2024.On a monthly basis, the sector index was down 0.1% on account of a 14.3% decrease in the production of refined petroleum products, 6.2% in beverages, 3.7% in basic metals, 3.7% in cement and other non-metallic mineral products and 0.1% in rubber and plastics products in the review period.However, there was a 5% expansion in the production of food products, 4.8% in chemicals and chemical products, and 4.7% in printing and reproduction of recorded media in February 2024.Electricity, which has a 1.16% weight in the IPI basket, saw its index fall 3% and 11.1% year-on-year and month-on-month in the review period.In the case of water, which has a 0.53% weight, the index was seen increasing 8.5% on an annualised basis whereas it shrank 9.5% on a monthly basis in the review period.

Reflecting the Federal Reserve rate cut concerns after a stronger than expected retail push in the US and the rising geopolitical tensions, the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Tuesday fell.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[130236]**more than 68 points, mainly dragged by transport and industrials sectors.The foreign funds were seen increasingly into net selling as the 20-stock Qatar Index lost 0.69% to 9,853.16 points, having touched an intraday high of 9,940 points.The domestic institutions were also increasingly net profit takers in the main market, whose year-to-date losses widened to 9.03%.As much as 70% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted QR3.63bn or 0.63% to QR571.79bn on account of midcap segments.The Gulf institutions’ lower net buying interests had its influence in the main market, which saw as many as 0.04mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.13mn trade across nine deals.The Arab retail investors’ weakened net buying had its say in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic stocks were seen declining slower than the other indices in the market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index shrank 0.69%, the All Share Index by 0.64% and the All Islamic Index by 0.52% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The transport sector index plummeted 2.19%, industrials (0.87%), insurance (0.65%), and banks and financial services (0.54%); while consumer goods and services gained 0.36%, real estate (0.23%) and telecom (0.05%).Main losers in the main bourse included Inma Holding, Milaha, Mannai Corporation, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Nakilat, Dukhan Bank, Commercial Bank, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services, Qamco, Ezdan and Mazaya Qatar.Nevertheless, Meeza, Mekdam Holding, Medicare Group, Barwa, Gulf Warehousing and Ooredoo were among the movers in the main market.The foreign institutions’ net selling strengthened significantly to QR27.38mn compared to QR17.25mn on April 15.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking grew noticeably to QR11.8mn against QR5.5mn the previous day.The Gulf institutions’ net buying declined markedly to QR21.23mn compared to QR28.15mn on Monday.The Arab individual investors’ net buying decreased perceptibly to QR0.27mn against QR5.37mn on April 15.The foreign retail investors’ net buying eased notably to QR2.52mn compared to QR3.3mn the previous day.However, the Qatari individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR14.47mn against net sellers of QR13.69mn on Monday.The Gulf individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR0.07mn compared with net sellers of QR0.58mn on April 15.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure for the third straight session.Trade volumes in the main market tanked 30% to 150.82mn shares, value by 25% to QR492.26mn and deals by 27% to 15,351.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Monday opened the week on a stronger note with its key index gaining more than 77 points on strong buying interests, especially in the transport and.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[164763]**telecom sectors.The Gulf institutions were seen net buyers as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.78% to 9,921.37 points, although it touched an intraday high of 9,943 points.The Arab individuals’ increased net buying had its influence in the main market, whose year-to-date losses truncated to 8.4%.More than 78% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR4.19bn or 0.73% to QR575.42bn on account of large and midcap segments.The foreign retail investors turned net buyers in the main market, which saw as many as 3,880 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.02mn trade across two deals.The domestic institutions’ weakened net selling had its say in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic stocks were seen gaining faster than the other indices in the market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index grew 0.78%, the All Share Index by 0.68% and the All Islamic Index by 1.01% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The transport sector index shot up 3.31%, telecom (1.15%), real estate (0.88%), industrials (0.77%), consumer goods and services (0.39%) and banks and financial services (0.33%); while insurance declined 0.93%.Main gainers in the main bourse included Qamco, Gulf Warehousing, Widam Food, Nakilat, Medicare Group, Lesha Bank, Masraf Al Rayan, Dlala, Inma Holding, Meeza, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Al Khaleej Takaful, Ooredoo and Milaha. In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatar Insurance, QLM, Commercial Bank, Qatar Islamic Insurance, Ahlibank Qatar and Industries Qatar were among the losers in the main market.The Gulf institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR28.15mn compared with net sellers of QR7.01mn on April 14.The Arab individual investors’ net buying increased marginally to QR5.37mn against QR5.11mn the previous day.The foreign retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR3.3mn compared with net sellers of QR6.91mn on Sunday.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking weakened noticeably to QR5.5mn against QR13.21mn on April 14.The Gulf individuals’ net selling shrank perceptibly to QR0.58mn compared to QR0.74mn the previous day.However, the foreign institutions’ net selling strengthened significantly to QR17.25mn against QR6.98mn on Sunday.The Qatari individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR13.69mn compared with net sellers of QR29.74mn on April 14.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure for the second straight session.Trade volumes in the main market soared 85% to 214.63mn shares, value by 101% to QR652.65mn and deals by 82% to 21,168.The venture market saw 14% contraction in trade volumes at 0.24mn equities, 33% in value to QR0.36mn and 13% in transactions to 36.

Wasata Financial Services was seen considerably gaining foothold in stock trading; even as The Group Securities, QNB Financial Services (QNBFS) and Commercial Bank Financial Services together constituted about 82% share trade turnover of the brokerages in the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) during the first three months of this year.Wasata Financial Securities and the QNBFS, which offer both market making and liquidity provisioning services, saw their share of trade turnover improve year-on-year during January-March 2024, according to the Qatar Stock Exchange data.The Group Securities’ share stood at 33.47% in January-March 2024 compared to 36.28% the previous year period. Its trading turnover was down 0.09% year-on-year to QR21.43bn. The transactions through it however rose 2.6% on an annualised basis to 0.74mn but on 6.18% lower volumes to 9.11mn shares at the end of March 31, 2024.The QNB subsidiary QNBFS' trade turnover amounted to QR23.66bn, which constituted 36.95% of the total traded value during January-March 2024 against 34.97% a year-ago period. The turnover shot up 14.47% year-on-year, volumes by 52% to 6.08mn equities and transactions by 3.84% to 0.77mn in the review period.The Commercial Bank Financial Services accounted for 11.13% of trade turnover compared to 11.86% during January-March 2023. The brokerage house's trade turnover was up 1.71% year-on-year to QR7.13bn and volumes by 32.52% to 2.16mn stocks, whereas deals shrank 9.43% to 0.23mn in the review period.The Commercial Bank’s subsidiary was the first bank brokerage in the country to launch margin trading product. The bourse recently amended the list of securities eligible for market making, liquidity provision, margin trading, and covered short‐selling activities; making more companies eligible.The approved market makers in the local bourse are The Group Securities, QNBFS and Wasata Financial Services. The approved liquidity providers are The Group Securities, QNBFS, CBFS and Wasata Financial Services.Wasata Financial Securities' share was 8.71% of trading turnover during January-March 2024 compared to 2.88% in the comparable period of 2023. Its trade turnover zoomed 228.24% year-on-year to QR5.58bn, volumes by 238.1% to 2.13mn shares and deals by 282.48% to 0.19mn at the end of March 2024.Qatar Securities accounted for 5.77% of trade turnover during the first three months of 2024 compared to 8.41 the previous year period. The brokerage's trading turnover dipped 25.55% year-on-year to QR3.7bn, volumes by 20.83% to 0.76mn equities and transactions by 23.17% to 0.1mn at the end of March 2024.Dlala Brokerage, a stock broking business arm of Dlala Holding, accounted for 3.33% of trade turnover against 3.56% the year-ago period. The brokerage’s trading turnover was QR2.13bn, which rose 0.95% year-on-year during January-March 2024. The deals through it shot up 7.55% on a yearly basis to 0.06mn but volumes tanked 10.67% to 0.67mn stocks at the end of March 2024.Al-Ahli Brokerage, a subsidiary of Ahlibank Qatar, saw its trade turnover plunge 66.67% on an annualised basis to QR0.4bn, cornering a market share of 0.63% during January-March of 2024 compared to 2.03% a year ago period. The volumes handled by the banking subsidiary plummeted 47.83% to 0.12mn shares and deals through it by 58.65% to 0.01mn during the review period.

Qatar's automobile sector painted a rosy picture with sales, especially of private vehicles and trailers, recording a robust double-digit growth in February 2024 on an annualised basis, according to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).The country saw 7,231 new vehicles registered in the month, jumping 23.4% year-on-year but fell 15% month-on-month in the review period.Registration of new private vehicles stood at 5,538; which surged 29.2% on a monthly basis; whereas it fell 8.8% on a monthly basis in February. Such vehicles constituted 76.59% of the total new vehicles registered in the country in the review period.As many as 34 trailers were registered in February, which jumped 10% year-on-year but declined 33.3% month-on-month. These constituted 0.47% of the total new vehicles in the review period.New registration of other non-specified vehicles stood at 422 units, which soared 175.8% on an annualised basis but tanked 45.8% on a monthly basis in February 2024. These constituted 5.84% of the total new vehicles registered in the country in the review period.Registration of new private transport vehicles stood at 971; which shrank 1.2% and 13.6% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively in February 2024. Such vehicles constituted 13.43% of the total new vehicles in the review period.Registration of new private motorcycles stood at 142 units, which plummeted 48.7% and 60.6% on yearly and monthly basis respectively. These constituted 1.96% of the total new vehicles in the review period.Registration of new heavy equipment stood at 124, which constituted 1.74% of the total registrations this February. Their registrations had seen a 6.1% shrinkage on an annualised basis, while it was unchanged from the previous month's level in the review period.Registration was renewed for 72,758 vehicles, which saw a 2.7% growth on a yearly basis but dipped 11% month-on-month. It constituted 56.84% of the clearing of vehicle-related processes in the review period.The transfer of ownership was reported in 30,831 vehicles in February 2024, which shrank 5.3% and 7.8% on a yearly and monthly basis respectively. It constituted 24.09% of the clearing of vehicle-related processes in the review period.The lost/damaged vehicles stood at 8,262 units, which shot up 36.3% and 65.7% respectively. They constituted 6.45% of the clearing of vehicle-related processes in the review period.The modified vehicles’ registration stood at 3,913; which fell 28.6% and 19.8% respectively. They constituted 3.06% of the clearing of vehicle-related processes in the review period.The number of vehicles meant for exports stood at 2,754 units, which zoomed 78.3% and 16% respectively. It constituted 2.15% of the clearing of vehicle-related processes in the review period.The number of cancelled vehicles was 2,142; surging 2.9% and 10.3% year-on-year and month-on-month this February. They constituted 1.67% of the clearing of vehicle-related processes in the review period.The re-registration was done in 128 vehicles, which soared 75.3% on an annualised basis but declined 28.5% month-on-month in February 2024.The clearing of vehicle-related processes stood at 128,002 units, which was up 2.7% year-on-year but shrank 7.3% on a monthly basis in the review period.

Ahead of Eid holidays, the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) on Monday gained as much as 14 points on the back of buying interests, especially in the banks, real estate and consumer goods.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[130236]**sectors.The foreign institutions were increasingly net buyers as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.14% to 9,924.16 points, recovering from an intraday low of 9,890 points.The domestic institutions turned bullish in the main market, whose year-to-date losses truncated further to 8.37%.The foreign individuals’ weakened net selling had its influence in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR1.24bn or 0.22% to QR576.3bn on account of midcap segments.The Gulf retail investors’ lower net profit booking pressure also had its say in the main market, which saw as many as 0.05mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR0.13mn trade across five 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 stocks were seen gaining slower than the other indices in the market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index grew 0.14%, the All Share Index by 0.19% and the All Islamic Index by 0.12% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The banks and financial services sector index gained 0.59%, realty (0.23%), consumer goods and services (0.22%), insurance (0.04%) and transport (0.01%); while telecom declined 1.1% and industrials (0.34%).Main gainers in the main bourse included Qatar Islamic Insurance, Masraf Al Rayan, Qatar Oman Investment, Mekdam Holding, Widam Food, Qatar German Medical Devices, Estithmar Holding and Ezdan.Nevertheless, Beema, Inma Holding, Dlala, Qatari Investors Group, Ooredoo, Lesha Bank, Industries Qatar and Gulf International Services were among the losers in the main bourse.The foreign institutions’ net buying increased substantially to QR11.09mn compared to QR6.59mn on April 7.The domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR5.58mn against net sellers of QR7.76mn the previous day.The foreign individual investors’ net selling declined noticeably to QR2.02mn compared to QR3.6mn on Sunday.The Gulf retail investors’ net profit booking shrank perceptibly to QR0.1mn against QR0.51mn on April 7.However, the Arab individuals’ net selling strengthened markedly to QR11.67mn compared to QR0.54mn the previous day.The Qatari individuals’ net profit booking strengthened perceptibly to QR5.82mn against QR7.76mn on Sunday.The Gulf institutions’ net buying decreased considerably to QR2.94mn compared to QR10.06mn on April 7.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net buyers to the tune of QR0.01mn the previous day.Trade volumes in the main market were up 2% to 116.67mn shares, value by 3% to QR315.14mn and deals by 36% to 12,612.The venture market saw 68% contraction in trade volumes at 0.08mn equities, 68% in value to QR0.12mn and 65% in transactions to 9.