By Santhosh V Perumal/Business Reporter

The Qatar Exchange yesterday reversed a bullish spell on selling pressure exerted by foreign institutions.
Small, large and mid cap equities witnessed profit-booking as the QE Index (based on price data) lost 0.36% to 8,242.11 points. The market is down 6.12% year-to-date.
The All Share Index (comprising wider constituents) and the Total Return Index also rose 0.39% and 0.36% to 1,986.10 and 11,154.56 points respectively. Both the indices factored in dividend income as well.
About 60% of the stocks were in the red with major shakers being QNB, Commercialbank, Doha Bank, Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, United Development Company (UDC), Gulf Warehousing and Nakilat, even as Mawashi and Barwa bucked the trend.
Under the All Share Index category, the transport index shrank 0.91%, followed by industrials (0.64%), banks and financial services (0.38%), consumer goods (0.31%) and telecom (0.24%); while the indices of insurance and realty gained 0.36% and 0.16%.
Market capitalisation fell 0.48% or more than QR2bn to QR451.35bn with small, large and mid cap equities notably losing 0.63%, 0.44% and 0.41% respectively.
Of the 42 stocks, only 10 gained, while 25 declined, five were unchanged and two were not traded.
Foreign institutions were increasingly profit-takers as their net selling surged to 12.90% from 6.73% the previous day. Their net selling was QR16.15mn.
A marginally higher 13.55% of them were into buying against 13.34% on Tuesday and a higher 26.45% of them into selling compared to 20.07%.
Domestic institutions’ bullish grip strengthened as their net buying rose to 2.04% from 1.59% the previous day. Their net buying was worth QR2.55mn.
A higher 14.50% of them bought equities compared to 13% on Tuesday and a marginally higher 12.46% offloaded against 11.41%.
Qatari individual investors turned bullish as they were net buyers to the tune of 9.99% compared with net sellers of 0.18% the previous day. Their net buying amounted to QR12.51mn.
A higher 52.96% of them purchased equities compared to 48.79% on Tuesday, whereas a lower 42.97% sold against 48.97%.
Non-Qatari retail investors continued to be bullish, but with much lesser vigour, as their net buying sunk to 0.86% from 5.31% the previous day. Their net buying was worth QR1.08mn.
A lower 18.98% of them were into buying against 24.86% on Tuesday and a marginally lower 18.12% were into offloading against 19.55%.
Total trading volume fell 25% to 4.25mn equities, while value rose 5% to QR125.20mn but deals were down 4% to 2,579.
The telecom sector’s trading volume plummeted 77% to 0.39mn shares, value by 75% to QR4.43mn and transactions by 60% to 175.
The insurance sector’s trading volume plunged 67% to 0.01mn shares and value by 72% to QR0.57mn, while deals rose 4% to 28.
The real estate sector’s trading volume tanked 16% to 1.87mn shares, value by 3% to QR43.21mn and transactions by 11% to 772.
The banks and financial services sector’s trading volume fell 3% to 0.89mn shares, whereas value gained 34% to QR37.90mn but deals were down 6% to 665.
However, the consumer goods and services sector’s trading volume more than doubled to 0.24mn shares, value rose 62% to QR11.23mn and deals more than doubled to 259.
The industrials sector’s trading volume gained 86% to 0.41mn shares, value by 56% to QR19.20mn and transactions by 35% to 370.
The transport sector’s trading volume rose 10% to 0.46mn shares, value by 19% to QR8.65mn and deals by 16% to 310.
Actively traded stocks (in terms of volume) were Barwa (1.13mn shares); UDC (437,827); Nakilat (409,385); Vodafone Qatar (377,557) and Mazaya Qatar (295,976).
In the debt market, there was no trading.