Higher demand for industrials, consumer goods, realty and insurance counters lifted the 20-stock Qatar Index 0.27% to 10,717.34 points as global oil prices also firmed up.
Trade turnover and volumes increased in the bourse, where real estate and banking sectors together accounted for more than 70% of the total trade volumes.
Buying support from foreign institutions weakened and there was also higher net selling by local, Gulf and non-Qatari retail investors in the bourse, whose year-to-date gains strengthened to 2.69%.
Market capitalisation added QR60mn or 0.1% to QR575.8bn with mid and small cap equities gaining 0.29% and 0.15%, while micro and large caps were down 0.09% and 0.03% respectively.
The Total Return Index gained 0.27% to 17,339.94 points, All Share Index by 0.17% to 2,937.33 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.34% to 3,985.98 points.
The industrials sector saw its index expanded 0.69%, consumer goods (0.68%), realty (0.64%), insurance (0.6%), telecom (0.22%) and transport (0.18%), while banks and financial services fell 0.45%.
About 56% of the traded stocks extended gains with major movers being Mazaya Qatar, Qatar Insurance, Ooredoo, Doha Bank, Barwa, Nakilat, Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, Aamal Company, Gulf International Services, United Development Company, Woqod, Salam International Investment and Islamic Holding Group.
Nevertheless, Commercial Bank, QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, al khaliji, Vodafone Qatar and Gulf Warehousing were among the losers.
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR45.27mn against net sellers of QR1.77mn on Wednesday.
Domestic institutions’ net buying increased substantially to QR30.67mn compared to QR9.11mn on January 4.
However, local retail investors’ net selling strengthened considerably to QR90.46mn against QR45.56mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened perceptibly to QR22.91mn compared to QR42.2mn on Wednesday.
The GCC individual investors’ net profit booking increased to QR4.71mn against QR0.89mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net selling rose marginally to QR3.68mn compared to QR3.11mn on January 4.
Total trade volume rose 7% to 14mn shares, value by 12% to QR395.71mn and deals by 12% to 5,131.
The insurance sector’s trade volume more than tripled to 0.41mn equities and value also more than tripled to QR34.73mn on more than doubled transactions to 291.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.39mn stocks, value soared 41% to QR21.51mn and deals by 42% to 391.
There was 26% surge in the real estate sector’s trade volume to 5.88mn shares, 24% in value to QR106.48m and less than 1% in transactions to 1,207.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume increased 12% to 3.97mn equities, value by 8% to QR117.46mn and deals by 3% to 1,413.
