By Santhosh V Perumal/Business Reporter

 

Buying interests from domestic institutions yesterday led the Qatar Exchange to gain for the third day amid shrinking volumes.

Consumer goods and transport sectors witnessed some buying pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) rose 0.05% to 8,426.78 points, while investors chose to stay away from the market in view of the maiden offers in the pipeline.

Small, micro and mid cap segments were the most sought after in the market, which gained 0.81% year-to-date (YTD).

Major movers included Qatari Investors Group, Doha Bank, Commercialbank (Cb) and United Development Company; even as Barwa bucked the trend.

The 20-stock Total Return Index also rose 0.05% to 12,035.82 points, but the All Share Index (comprising wider constituents) fell 0.03% to 2,147.86 points, while the Al Rayan Islamic Index surged 0.32% to 2,557.94 points.

All the three indices factored in dividend income as well.

Under the All Share Index category, the consumer goods index rose 0.37%, followed by transport (0.15%) and industrials and realty (0.08% each), while the insurance index fell 0.65%, followed by telecom (0.26%) and banks and financial services (0.12%).

Industrials, consumer goods, telecom, transport, banking and insurance sectors outperformed the key indices, gaining YTD 13.54%, 12.56%, 11.76%, 6.40%, 2.73% and 1.31% respectively; even as the realty index shrank 4.27%.

Market capitalisation was down 0.03%, or QR13mn, to QR464.59bn mainly on a 0.15% dip in large cap equities. Small, micro and mid caps gained 0.47%, 0.15% and 0.11% respectively.

Micro cap equities have reported 5.68% decline YTD, whereas mid and large caps gained 2.30% and 0.81% respectively. Small caps treaded a flat path.

Of the 42 stocks, 17 advanced, while only 14 declined, five were unchanged and six were not traded.

Domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of 6.40% or QR5.48mn. A higher 19.58% of them were into buying against 11.18% last Thursday, while a much lower 13.18% of them into selling compared to 28.84%.

Foreign institutions’ net buying fell to 12.45% or QR10.65mn. A much lower 28.11% of them bought equities against 40.41% the previous trading day and a lower 15.66% offloaded compared to 17.99%.

Qatari individual investors’ net profit-booking soared to 18.91% or QR16.18mn. A higher 35.05% of them purchased equities against 33.33% last Thursday, but a much higher 53.96% sold compared to 37.49%.

Non-Qatari individual investors were net buyers to the extent of 0.06%, or QR0.05mn. A higher 17.26% of them bought equities against 15.08% the previous day and a higher 17.20% sold compared to 15.68%.

Total trading volume shrank 42% to 2.61mn shares, value by 45% to QR85.55mn and deals by 37% to 1,564.

The telecom sector’s trading volume plummeted 81% to 0.21mn shares, value by 72% to QR3.67mn and transactions by 49% to 71.

The transport sector’s trading volume plunged 61% to 0.13mn shares, value by 52% to QR3.85mn and deals by 47% to 91.

The consumer goods and services sector’s trading volume tanked 56% to 0.27mn shares, value by 55% to QR12.53mn and transactions by 66% to 163.

The insurance sector’s trading volume declined 50% to 0.02mn shares, value by 46% to QR0.97mn and deals by 29% to 22.

The real estate sector’s trading volume shrank 29% to 0.40mn shares, value by 38% to QR7.33mn and transactions by 40% to 204.

The banks and financial services sector’s trading volume shed 26% to 0.76mn shares, value by 57% to QR29mn and deals by 39% to 525.

However, the industrials sector’s trading volume rose 45% to 0.81mn shares, value by 10% to QR28.21mn and transactions by 2% to 488.

Actively traded stocks (in terms of volume) were Qatari Investors Group (564,994 shares); Medicare Group (244,508); Qatar Oman Investment (222,942); Cb (198,438) and Vodafone Qatar (193,141).

In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills.