Domestic institutions’ bearish outlook and their foreign counterparts’ weakened net buying on Thursday led the Qatar Stock Exchange shed 22 points but stay above 9,000 levels.

Strong buying interests in transport and insurance was negated by profit booking, especially in telecom, real estate and banking counters that the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.24% down at 9,088.01 points.

Masraf Al Rayan sponsored exchange traded fund QATR witnessed 0.21% gains; while Doha Bank sponsored QETF fell 0.15%.

However, local and non-Qatari retail investors turned bullish on the market, which is up 6.62% year-to-date.

Buying interests were visible within midcap segments on the bourse, whose capitalisation shrank 0.54% to QR506.18bn.

Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline on the market, where industrials and banking sectors together accounted for about 57% of the total volume.

The Total Return Index declined 0.24% to 16,012.06 points and All Share Index by 0.38% to 2,703.77 points, while Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) rose 0.32% to 2,288.33 points.

The telecom index plunged 2.79%, realty (0.6%), banks and financial services (0.5%), consumer goods (0.4%) and industrials (0.35%); whereas transport and insurance gained 2.54% and 1.38% respectively.

Major losers included Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar, Ezdan, Al Khaleej Takaful, Aamal Company, Qatar Electricity and Water, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Qatari German Company for Medical Devices, Doha Bank and QNB.

Nevertheless, Milaha, Gulf Warehousing, United Development Company, Qatar Insurance, Qatari Investors Group and Alijarah Holding were among the gainers.

Domestic institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR16.11mn against net buyers of QR5.46mn on April 25.

Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened influentially to QR5.9mn compared to QR27.96mn on Wednesday.

However, local individuals turned net buyers to the extent of QR22.34mn against net sellers of QR11.68mn the previous day.

Non-Qatari individuals were also net buyers to the tune of QR1.62mn compared with net sellers of QR6.58mn on April 25.

The Gulf individuals turned net buyers to the extent of QR0.61mn against net sellers of QR0.35mn on Wednesday.

The Gulf institutions’ net profit booking fell marginally to QR14.34mn compared to QR14.83mn the previous day.

Total trade volume fell 39% to 7.44mn shares, value by 42% to QR186.03mn and transactions by 30% to 3,317.

The insurance sector reported 73% plunge in trade volume to 0.13mn equities, 78% in value to QR2.89mn and 37% in deals to 85.

The telecom sector’s trade volume plummeted 48% to 0.93mn stocks and value by 2% to QR24.24mn, even as transactions soared 51% to 485.

There was 42% shrinkage in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.29mn shares, 47% in value to QR26.96mn and 49% in deals to 307.

The industrials sector’s trade volume tanked 39% to 2.73mn equities, value by 42% to QR56.29mn and transactions by 23% to 897.

The banks and financial services sector saw 38% decline in trade volume to 1.48mn stocks, 47% in value to QR43.16mn and 51% in deals to 658.

The real estate sector’s trade volume shrank 33% to 0.93mn shares, value by 59% to QR12.2mn and transactions by 38% to 376.

The market witnessed 14% fall in the transport sector’s trade volume to 0.96mn equities, 18% in value to QR20.29mn and 5% in deals to 509.

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

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