Santhosh V. Perumal

The Qatar Stock Exchange on Sunday reopened after the Eid holidays with 81 points increase and its key index inched near the 10,800 levels, steered by foreign funds.

Global credit rating agency Capital Intelligence (CI) has affirmed Qatar's long-term foreign currency rating (LT FCR) and long-term local currency rating (LT LCR) at ‘AA-’.

Qatar Petroleum's (QP) $12.5bn bonds, which was recently oversubscribed more than three times, has shown the "extremely strong" appetite for investment-grade bonds from the Gulf sovereigns, or its related enterprises, according to Kamco Invest.

The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) may soon allow omnibus accounts for custodians as part of its efforts to enhance the attractiveness; it also indicates the advent of derivatives.

A robust expansion in the extraction of hydrocarbons and desalination as well as in the production of refined petroleum products, basic metals, chemicals and beverages led Qatar's industrial production to surge 6% month-on-month this May, according to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).

Domestic funds as well as local and foreign retail investors turned net buyers in an otherwise bearish Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) this week, which saw energy prices soften after major global oil producers struck a compromise deal on supply.

The non-resident deposits in Qatar's commercial banks grew much faster than the resident deposits as well as the total deposits year-on-year this May, according to the central bank data.

Local retail investors and domestic institutions were increasingly bullish Thursday, even as the Qatar Stock Exchange settled in the negative and its key index closed below 10,700 levels.