Foreign institutions’ net buying weakened considerably, dragging the 20-stock Qatar Index shrink 0.77% to 11,320.39 points on lower trading turnover and volumes.
Islamic stocks were seen dropping slower than the conventional ones in the market, which is however up 8.54% year-to-date.
However, Gulf institutions were increasingly net buyers in the market, where real estate, banking and industrials stocks together constituted about 70% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation fell 0.78% or about QR5bn to QR605.35bn.
The Total Return Index shed 0.77% to 18,315.64 points, All Share Index by 0.7% to 3,107.83 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.64% to 4,252.63 points.
Realty stocks declined 1.3%, banks and financial services (1.27%), industrials (0.25%) and transport (0.11%); while telecom, consumer goods and insurance gained 1.12%, 0.27% and 0.27% respectively.
More than 52% of the stocks were in the red with major losers being QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, Industries Qatar, QIIB, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Ezdan and Barwa; even as Aamal Company, Ooredoo, Mazaya Qatar, Dlala and al khaliji were seen bucking the trend.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened considerably to QR55.57mn compared to QR155.98mn on Wednesday.
However, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net buying increased to QR26.41mn against QR4.25mn on August 17.
Domestic institutions’ net selling declined perceptibly to QR47.6mn compared to QR101.23mn the previous day.
Local retail investors’ net profit booking also weakened substantially to QR32.32mn against QR46.12mn on Wednesday.
The GCC individual investors’ net selling plunged to QR0.53mn compared to QR9.98mn on August 17.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net profit booking shrank to QR1.54mn against QR2.89mn the previous day.
Total trade volume fell 38% to 6.67mn shares, value by 41% to QR264.88mn and deals by 10% to 5,200.
The telecom sector reported 55% plunge in trade volume to 1.07mn equities, 49% in value to QR30.67mn and 11% in transactions to 725.
The transport sector’s trade volume plummeted 52% to 0.45mn stocks and value by 50% to QR16.41mn, while deals were up 5% to 437.
There was 41% shrinkage in the insurance sector’s trade volume to 0.22mn shares, 38% in value to QR19.7mn and 48% in transactions to 204.
The industrials sector’s trade volume tanked 38% to 1.22mn equities, value by 44% to QR60.66mn and deals by 21% to 1,164.
The banks and financial services sector saw 31% decline in trade volume to 1.7mn stocks, 41% in value to QR89.03mn and 6% in transactions to 1,511.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume shrank 27% to 0.27mn shares, value by 42% to QR12.58mn and deals by 2% to 337.
The market witnessed 24% fall in the real estate sector’s trade volume to 1.74mn equities and 26% in value to QR35.83bn but on 11% expansion in transactions to 822.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
