The Qatar Stock Exchange on Tuesday extended gains to the second straight session to inch near 9,000 points, mainly lifted by real estate and insurance scrips.
Gulf funds turned bullish and there were increased net buying interests from non-Qatari individuals as the 20-stock Qatar Index gained 0.03% to 8,958.89 points.
Doha Bank and Masraf Al Rayan sponsored exchange traded funds QETF and QATR, however, bucked the overall trend by falling 0.24% and 0.3% respectively.
However, local retail investors turned bearish and there was a substantial weakening of buying support from non-Qatari funds in the market, which is up 5.1% year-to-date.
Small and midcap segments saw more buying interests in the bourse, whose capitalisation rose 0.28% to QR495.91bn.
Trade turnover were higher amidst declining volumes in the market, where the industrials, banking and transport sectors together accounted for more than 62% of the total volume.
The Total Return Index was up 0.03% to 15,783 points and the All Share Index by 0.33% to 2,643.26 points, while the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) shrank 0.22% to 2,263.89 points.
The realty index shot up 1.64%, followed by insurance (1.1%), transport (0.55%), banks and financial services (0.35%) and consumer goods (0.24%); whereas industrials and telecom declined 0.67% and 0.02% respectively.
About 63% of the stocks extended gains with major movers being Al Khaleej Takaful, Ahlibank, Qatari German Company for Medical Devices, Ezdan and Commercial Bank; while Dlala, Aamal Company, Qatar Islamic Insurance and Industries Qatar were among the losers.
Gulf institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR8.1mn compared with net sellers of QR14.24mn on Monday.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net buying increased perceptibly to QR2.05mn against QR0.78mn the previous day.
However, local individuals turned net sellers to the extent of QR8.59mn compared with net buyers of QR1.48mn on April 16.
Domestic institutions’ net profit-booking strengthened marginally to QR13.11mn against QR12.92mn on Monday.
Gulf individuals were net sellers to the tune of QR0.11mn; while non-Qatari funds’ net buying weakened considerably to QR11.68mn compared to QR24.87mn on Monday.
Total trade volume fell 11% to 6.95mn shares, while value rose 1% to QR213.59mn despite 11% lower transactions at 2,866.
The banks and financial services sector saw a 41% plunge in trade volume to 1.3mn equities, 29% in value to QR56.33mn and 12% in deals to 809.
The real estate sector’s trade volume plummeted 35% to 0.96mn stocks, value by 46% to QR20.47mn and transactions by 30% to 388.
The market witnessed a 23% shrinkage in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 0.81mn shares, 27% in value to QR10.7mn and 39% in deals to 229.
The transport sector’s trade volume shrank 8% to 1mn equities, whereas value gained 2% to QR17.37mn despite 6% decline in transactions to 238.
However, the insurance sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.35mn stocks and value almost tripled to QR11.78mn on a 70% jump in deals to 97.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.52mn shares and value also more than doubled to QR38.95mn on a 29% jump in transactions to 422.
There was a 23% surge in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 2.02mn equities and 34% in value to QR57.99mn but on a 7% fall in deals to 683.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and sovereign bonds.
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