By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter

The Qatar Stock Exchange on Sunday opened the week on a stronger note with its key index inching near the 11,800 mark, mainly lifted by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) institutions.
Buying interests were seen intense within the industrials, insurance, real estate and telecom counters as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.55% for the second consecutive session to 11,763.56 points amid fall in trade volumes.
Micro cap stocks witnessed higher demand in the bourse, which is, however, down 4.25% year-to-date.
Non-Qatari retail investors were seen marginally net buyers in the market, where realty, banking and industrials stocks accounted for about 72% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation expanded 0.51% or more than QR3bn to QR635.64bn with micro, mid, small and large cap stocks gaining 1.41%, 0.39, 0.32% and 0.24% respectively.
The Total Return Index rose 0.55% to 18,279.65 points, All Share Index by 0.5% to 3,146.02 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.53% to 4,327.33 points.
Industrials stocks surged 1.03%, insurance (0.83%), real estate (0.5%), telecom (0.49%), consumer goods (0.47%) and banks and financial services (0.32%); even as transport fell 0.63%.
About 60% of the stocks saw value appreciation with major gainers being QNB, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Mazaya Qatar, Ezdan, United Development Company, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, Masraf Al Rayan and Alijarah Holding; whereas QNB and Nakilat bucked the trend.
The GCC institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR19.15mn against net sellers of QR6.66mn the previous trading day.
Non-Qatari individual investors were net buyers to the extent of QR0.03mn compared with net sellers of QR6.6mn on April 2.
Local retail investors’ net profit booking sunk to QR7.63mn against QR9.34mn last Thursday.
However, non-Qatari institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.77mn compared with net buyers of QR28.82mn the previous trading day.
Domestic institutions’ net selling strengthened to QR8.29mn against QR5.68mn on April 2.
The GCC individual investors’ net profit booking rose to QR1.51mn compared to QR0.57mn last Thursday.
Total trade volume fell 14% to 6.82mn shares, value by 22% to QR264.83mn and transactions by 11% to 3,956.
The banks and financial services sector reported 46% plunge in trade volume to 1.6mn equities, 44% in value to QR70.53mn and 33% in deals to 989.
The transport sector’s trade volume plummeted 24% to 0.19mn stocks, value by 29% to QR7.57mn and transactions by 50% to 100.
The real estate sector saw its trade volume decline 14% to 2.15mn shares, value by 27% to QR61.77mn and deals by 11% to 712.
However, the insurance sector’s trade volume grew more than five-fold to 0.42mn equities and value more than quadrupled to QR18.56mn on almost tripled transactions to 198.
The industrials sector’s trade volume expanded 15% to 1.14mn stocks whereas value fell 11% to QR70.06mn. Deals grew 11% to 1,138.
The consumer goods sector witnessed 13% jump in trade volume to 0.53mn shares, value by 27% to QR19.05mn and transactions by 6% to 373.
The market witnessed 11% surge in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 0.79mn equities, while there was 35% fall in value to QR12.28mn and 12% in deals to 476.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.