The QSE’s market capitalisation was down 0.26% or about QR2bn to QR620.66bn yesterday with micro, small, mid and large cap equities losing 1.5%, 0.8%, 0.4% and 0.09% respectively.
By Santhosh V Perumal
Business Reporter
Profit booking yesterday gripped the Qatar Stock Exchange, after two consecutive days of bullish spell, and its key index lost 31 points, mainly dragged by micro cap equities.
The 20-stock Qatar Index fell 0.26% to 11,837.71 points, amid lower overall trade volumes, as local retail investors and domestic institutions turned bearish.
The Gulf individual investors were increasingly net sellers and foreign institutions’ net buying also weakened in the market, which is down 3.65% year-to-date.
The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen falling faster than the other indices in the bourse, where trading was largely skewed towards the banking, real estate and industrials sectors, which together constituted about 73% of the volume.
Market capitalisation was down 0.26% or about QR2bn to QR620.66bn with micro, small, mid and large cap equities losing 1.5%, 0.8%, 0.4% and 0.09% respectively.
The Total Return Index fell 0.26% to 18,400.02 points, All Share Index by 0.27% to 3,145.61 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.37% to 4,503.26 points.
Industrials stocks shrank 0.65%, insurance (0.63%), realty (0.45%), and consumer goods and telecom (0.31% each); while transport rose 0.26% and banks and financial services continued to remain flat for the second consecutive day.
About 61% of the stocks were in the red with major losers being Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, Aamal Company, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar, Nakilat and Dlala; even as Commercial Bank and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding bucked the trend.
Local retail investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR13.21mn compared with net buyers of QR11.06mn on October 12.
Domestic institutions were also net profit takers to the extent of QR0.55mn against net buyers of QR1.2mn on Monday.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) individual investors’ net selling rose to QR5.62mn compared to QR4.12mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened to QR10.37mn against QR12.74mn on October 12.
However, the GCC institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR3.74mn compared with net sellers of QR7mn on Monday.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net profit booking weakened to QR5.27mn against QR13.87mn the previous day.
Total trade volume fell 40% to 5.16mn shares, value by 36% to QR218.73mn and deals by 28% to 3,887.
The consumer goods sector saw 61% plunge in trade volume to 0.23mn equities, 69% in value to QR10.45mn and 60% in transactions to 221. The telecom sector’s trade volume plummeted 58% to QR0.71mn stocks, value by 55% to QR14.44mn and deals by 41% to 372.
There was 45% shrinkage in the transport sector’ trade volume to 0.38mn shares, 55% in value to QR10.53mn and 35% in transactions to 267.
The real estate sector’s trade volume tanked 37% to 1.23mn equities, value by 41% to QR29.08mn and deals by 26% to 494.
The banks and financial services sector reported 31% decline in trade volume to 1.48mn stocks and 7% in value to QR94.26mn but on 2% rise in transactions to 1,440.
The industrials sector’s trade volume shrank 31% to 1.05mn shares, value by 47% to QR51.93mn and deals by 39% to 1,013.
However, there was 50% surge in the insurance sector’s trade volume to 0.09mn equities, 43% in value to QR8.04mn and 18% in transactions to 80.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills; while as many as 1,000 government bonds valued at QR10.01mn changed hands across one deal.
