The Qatar Stock Exchange continued to be under bullish spell, albeit at lower levels, for the third consecutive day, but its key index failed to break the 9,900 mark.
Buying support from local and non-Qatari individual investors rather helped the 20-stock Qatar Index gain 0.05% to 9,888.39 points amid fall in trading turnover and volumes.
Consumer goods, transport and industrials counters witnessed stronger demand in the market, which is however, down 5.19% year-to-date.
However, buying support from foreign institutions weakened and there was also increased net profit booking pressure from their Gulf counterparts in the bourse, where banking, real estate and industrials stocks together constituted more than 79% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation was up 0.08% or QR40mn to QR532.8bn with micro, small and large cap equities gaining 0.51%, 0.43% and 0.19% respectively; even as midcaps fell 0.35%.
The Total Return Index rose 0.05% to 15,998.75 points, All Share Index by 0.1% to 2,766.38 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.44% to 3,904.64 points.
Consumer goods stocks gained 1.94%, transport (0.56%), industrials (0.53%), and banks and financial services (0.11%); while insurance, telecom and realty fell 1.74%, 0.6% and 0.43% respectively.
More than 56% of the traded stocks extended gains with major movers being Industries Qatar, Aamal Company, Commercial Bank, Al Khaliji, Nakilat, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Gulf International Services, Mazaya Qatar, Dlala, Qatari German Company for Medical Devices and Medicare Group.
However, Qatar First Bank, Doha Bank, QNB, Qatari Investors Group, Qatar Insurance, Barwa, Ezdan, Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar bucked the trend.
Local retail investors’ net buying increased to QR14.28mn compared to QR2.14mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR7.38mn against net sellers of QR1.73mn on May 10.
Domestic institutions’ net profit booking weakened to QR12.27mn compared to QR14.14mn on Tuesday.
However, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net selling strengthened to QR16.05mn against QR7.72mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying declined to QR9.15mn compared to QR19.58mn on May 10.
The GCC individual investors turned net sellers to the extent of QR2.49mn against net buyers of QR1.87mn on Tuesday.
Total trade volume was down less than 1% to 8.82mn shares, value by 12% to QR300.06mn and deals by 18% to 5,315.
There was 45% plunge in the transport sector’s trade volume to 0.47mn equities, 48% in value to QR22.75mn and 42% in transactions to 314.
The industrials sector’s trade volume plummeted 34% to 1.36mn stocks, value by 31% to QR69.48mn and deals by 37% to 958.
The consumer goods sector reported 28% shrinkage in trade volume to 0.77mn shares, 5% in value to QR59.46mn and 22% in transactions to 784.
The telecom sector’s trade volume tanked 12% to 0.52mn equities, value by 36% to QR11.96mn and deals by 38% to 456.
However, the real estate sector saw 59% surge in trade volume to 2mn stocks, 59% in value to QR41.42mn and 17% in transactions to 1,048.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume soared 24% to 3.61mn shares and value by 8% to QR88.43mn, while deals were down 2% to 1,599.
The market witnessed 11% increase in the insurance sector’s trade volume to 0.1mn equities but on 5% fall in value to QR6.57mn. Transactions shot up 34% to 156.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
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