Reversing five consecutive days of bearish spell, Qatar Stock Exchange on Tuesday gained 78 points but to settle below the 10,400 mark.

Realty, industrials and insurance counters witnessed relatively higher demand leading the 20-stock Qatar Index gain 0.76% to 10,388.18 points.

Trade turnover and volumes were otherwise on the decline in the bourse, whose year-to-date losses were contained at 0.39%.

Foreign institutions and individual investors were increasingly net buyers in the market, where banking and industrials stocks together accounted for more than 55% of the total volumes.

A decline in net profit taking by domestic and Gulf institutions also helped the bourse, which however found lower buying interests from local retail investors.

Market capitalisation rose 0.59% or more than QR3bn to QR557.53bn as micro, large, small and midcap stocks gained 0.69%, 0.59%, 0.34% and 0.1% respectively.

The Total Return Index gained 0.76% to 16,807.39 points, All Share Index by 0.62% to 2,866 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.74% to 3,905.28 points.

Real estate stocks appreciated 1.22%, industrials (0.95%), insurance (0.8%), telecom (0.69%), banks and financial services (0.36%) and consumer goods (0.2%); whereas transport fell 0.28%.

About 78% of the traded equities extended gains with major movers being Industries Qatar, Qatar Insurance, Masraf Al Rayan, Ooredoo, Ezdan, Mazaya Qatar, Aamal Company, Qatar First Bank and Gulf International Services; even as Vodafone Qatar, Nakilat and al khaliji saw erosion in their share prices.

Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying strengthened to QR31.86mn compared to QR29.61mn the previous day.

Non-Qatari individual investors’ net buying also increased to QR2.7mn against QR0.89mn on October 3.

Domestic institutions’ net profit booking declined marginally to QR39.28mn compared to QR39.41mn on Monday.

The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net selling fell to QR0.04mn against QR9.24mn the previous day.

However, local retail investors’ net buying weakened to QR6.38mn compared to QR18.8mn on October 3.

The GCC individual investors’ net profit booking strengthened to QR1.6mn against QR0.64mn on Monday.

Total trade volume fell 37% to 3.97mn shares and value by 34% to QR146.95mn; while deals were up 1% to 2,610.

The market witnessed 82% plunge in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 0.51mn equities and 77% in value to QR16.06mn but on 2% jump in transactions to 327.

The transport sector’s trade volume plummeted 38% to 0.16mn stocks, value by 42% to QR8.58mn and deals by 3% to 179.

The banks and financial services sector saw 23% shrinkage in trade volume to 1.13mn shares, 29% in value to QR43.35mn and 6% in transactions to 930.

The real estate sector’s trade volume tanked 11% to 0.89mn equities and value by 8% to QR17.28mn; whereas deals rose 15% to 400.

There was 11% decline in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.17mn stocks, 23% in value to QR5.84mn and 30% in transactions to 204.

However, the industrials sector’s trade volume soared 75% to 1.07mn shares, value by 15% to QR52.63mn and deals by 16% to 484.

The insurance sector reported 33% surge in trade volume to 0.04mn equities and 37% in value to QR3.21mn on more than doubled transactions to 86.

In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.

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