Foreign and Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser vigour as the 20-stock Qatar Index gained 0.33% to 11,408.75 points.
Islamic stocks were seen gaining slower than the conventional ones in the market, which is up 9.39% year-to-date.
Large cap equities witnessed some brisk buying in the bourse, where trading turnover and volumes were however on the decline.
Local, Gulf and foreign retail investors weakened net selling lent support to the market, where banking, telecom and realty stocks together constituted more than 66% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation rose 0.36% or more than QR2bn to QR610.1bn as large and small cap equities gained 0.72% and 0.16%; while mid and microcaps fell 0.16% and 0.01% respectively.
The Total Return Index gained 0.33% to 18,458.6 points, All Share Index by 0.24% to 3,129.76 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.19% to 4,279.85 points.
Insurance stocks soared 2.91%, telecom (2.58%), industrials (0.45%) and banks and financial services (0.35%); while real estate and consumer goods fell 1.63% and 0.14% respectively. Transport index was unchanged.
Major movers included Qatar Insurance, Industries Qatar, Aamal Company, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, QIIB, QNB and Qatari Investors Group; while Ezdan, Barwa, Mannai Corporation, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank and Dlala bucked the trend.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened to QR155.98mn compared to QR190.38mn the previous day.
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net buying was mere QR4.25mn against QR111.99mn on August 16.
Local retail investors’ net profit booking weakened considerably to QR46.12mn compared to QR119.58mn on Tuesday.
The GCC individual investors’ net selling fell perceptibly to QR9.98mn against QR34.42mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net profit booking shrank to QR2.89mn compared to QR16.48mn on August 16.
Domestic institutions’ net selling declined to QR101.23mn against QR131.9mn on Tuesday.
Total trade volume fell 39% to 10.79mn shares, value by 46% to QR451.72mn and deals by 27% to 5,782.
There was 55% plunge in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.37mn equities, 59% in value to QR21.52mn and 42% in transactions to 345.
The insurance sector’s trade volume plummeted 53% to 0.37mn stocks, value by 50% to QR31.52mn and deals by 24% to 396.
The banks and financial services sector saw 53% decline in trade volume to 2.46mn shares, 57% in value to QR150.7mn and 32% in transactions to 1,604.
The industrials sector’s trade volume declined 48% to 1.98mn equities, value by 23% to QR108.78mn and deals by 26% to 1,467.
The market witnessed 41% shrinkage in the real estate sector’s trade volume to 2.3mn stocks, 41% in value to QR48.43bn and 27% in transactions to 740.
The transport sector’s trade volume fell 34% to 0.93mn shares, value by 49% to QR32.88mn and deals by 41% to 418.
However, the telecom sector reported 45% surge in trade volume to 2.37mn equities but on 5% fall in value to QR59.89mn, while transactions were up 4% to 812.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
