By Santhosh V Perumal/Business Reporter

The Qatar Stock Exchange yesterday broke the 13,000 resistance level on substantial buying interests from foreign institutions and local retail investors.

Consumer goods, industrials, insurance and real estate witnessed brisk buying to lift the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) by 0.56% to 13,067.34 points, a new all-time closing high, even as capitalisation was marginally on the decline.

The market initially faced resistance on profit-booking, leading the index to tick below 12,950 intraday, but sustained buying interests in the subsequent session led the key barometer to settle comfortably above the 13,000 level.

Net selling pressure was, however, seen stronger within domestic institutions in the market, which is up 25.89% year-to-date.

Trading activities were on the rise and was overall skewed towards realty, telecom, banks and industrials equities.

The 20-stock Total Return Index rose 0.56% to 19,486.23 points, the All Share Index (with wider constituents) by 0.5% to 3,319.09 and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.41% to 4,305.57, while.

All the three indices factored in dividend income as well.

Consumer goods stocks appreciated 1.36%, industrials (0.92%), insurance (0.85%), realty (0.69%), transport (0.43%) and banks and financial services (0.22%); while telecom fell 0.37%.

Major gainers included Industries Qatar, Vodafone Qatar, Nakilat, Woqod, Qatar Islamic Bank, International Islamic, Masraf Al Rayan, Barwa, United Development Company, Gulf International Services and Salam International Investment.

However, QNB, Ooredoo, Ezdan, Mazaya Qatar, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Alijarah Holding and Qatari Investors Group bucked the trend.

Market capitalisation, however, fell 0.07% or QR51mn to QR726.37bn. Mid, micro, small and large cap equities gained 0.65%, 0.36%, 0.29% and 0.17% respectively.

Foreign institutions’ net buying surged to QR100.81mn against QR24.38mn the previous day.

Qatari retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR25.23mn compared with net sellers of QR45.33mn on Sunday.

However, domestic institutions turned net profit takers to the extent of QR66.8mn against net buyers of QR55.49mn the previous day.

Non-Qatari individual investors’ net selling rose to QR59.45mn compared to QR34.62mn the previous day.

Total trading volume surged 31% to 21.51mn stocks, value by 32% to QR1.03bn and transactions by 4% to 9,738.

The telecom sector’s trading volume almost tripled to 4.77mn equities and value also almost tripled to QR96.12mn on more than doubled deals to 900.

The real estate sector saw its trading volume surge 97% to 5.13mn shares and value more than doubled to QR96.12mn on a 37% jump in transactions to 1,656.

The market witnessed a 39% expansion in the industrials sector’s trading volume to 3.72mn stocks, 61% in value to QR312.03mn and 25% in deals to 2,933.

The transport sector’s trading volume was up 1% to 1.22mn equities and value by 4% to QR35.58mn while transactions fell 18% to 418.

However, the insurance sector’s trading volume plummeted 61% to 0.11mn shares, value by 73% to QR4.9mn and deals by 38% to 112.

The consumer goods sector’s trading volume tanked 23% to 1.89mn stocks, value by 2% to QR171.27mn and transactions by 25% to 1,489.

The banks and financial services sector reported 14% plunge in trading volume to 4.67mn equities but value was up 3% to QR259.21mn. Deals declined 16% to 2,230.