By Santhosh V. Perumal/Business Reporter

Domestic institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser vigour in the Qatar Stock Exchange, which on Sunday gained 30 points to inch near the 10,900 level.
Stronger buying – especially in the insurance and transport segments – led the 20-stock Qatar Index gain 0.28% to 10,860.28 points amid shrinking overall volumes.
Lower net profit booking pressure from foreign institutions also helped in the positive run in the market, which is, however, down 11.6% year-to-date.
The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was on the decline unlike gains in the other indices in the bourse, where trading was largely skewed towards the transport, telecom and real estate sectors, which together constituted about 62% of the volume.
Market capitalisation was up 0.11% or QR62mn to QR570.98bn with mid cap equities notably gaining 1.12%; even as small caps fell 0.91%.
The Total Return Index rose 0.28% to 16,880.75 points and All Share Index by 0.15% to 2,896.62 points; while Al Rayan Islamic Index was down 0.01% to 4,067.77 points.
Insurance stocks appreciated 2.52%, transport (1.1%), banks and financial services (0.2%) and telecom (0.1%); whereas industrials fell 0.44%, consumer goods (0.35%), realty (0.2%).
Major gainers included Masraf Al Rayan, Industries Qatar, Ooredoo, Qatar Insurance, Barwa, United Development Company, Milaha and Gulf Warehousing; even as QNB, Commercial Bank, Dlala, Qatari German Company for Medical Devices, Aamal Company, Gulf International Services, Mazaya Qatar, Ezdan, Vodafone Qatar and Nakilat bucked the trend.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net selling substantially declined to QR27.14mn compared to QR74.86mn the previous day.
However, local retail investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR9.08mn against net buyers of QR1.01mn last Thursday.
Domestic institutions’ net buying weakened to QR63.96mn compared to QR82.85mn on November 12.
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net selling increased to QR24.96mn against QR18.19mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net buying shrank to QR3.72mn compared to QR5.07mn last Thursday.
The GCC individual investors’ net buying also weakened to QR0.93mn against QR4.08mn on November 12.
Total trade volume fell 12% to 5.41mn shares, value by 26% to QR215.2mn and deals by 17% to 3,383.
The insurance sector saw 85% plunge in trade volume to 0.03mn equities, 84% in value to QR2.33mn and 73% in transactions to 49.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume plummeted 34% to 0.92mn stocks, value by 51% to QR59.79mn and deals by 52% to 668.
There was 33% shrinkage in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 0.77mn shares and 36% in value to QR48.82mn but on 1% rise in transactions to 882.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume tanked 26% to 0.37mn equities, while value rose 35% to QR22.36mn and deals by 10% to 312.
The market witnessed 26% shrinkage in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 1.01mn stocks, 11% in value to QR22.94mn and 33% in transactions to 455.
The real estate sector’s trade volume shrank 11% to 1.01mn shares and value by 2% to QR24.82mn, while deals grew 24% to 477.
However, the transport sector’s trade volume more than tripled to 1.31mn equities and value almost quadrupled to QR34.13mn on more than doubled transactions to 540.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.

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