The transport, real estate and insurance counters on Thursday witnessed stronger demand, leading the Qatar Stock Exchange to inch near 10,800 levels.
Non-Qatari individuals turned bullish as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.24% higher at 10,787.75 points.
Local retail investors’ weakened net selling also helped the market, whose sensitive index is up 4.75% year-to-date.
Market capitalisation expanded more than QR2bn, or 0.35%, to QR616.9bn mainly owing to large and small cap segments.
Islamic equities were seen gaining slower the other indices in the market, where Gulf institutions turned bearish and there was weakened buying interests from domestic funds.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline in the bourse, where the industrials and banking sectors together accounted for more than 62% of the total volume.
The Total Return Index grew 0.24% to 19,006.82 points, the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.22% to 2,529.75 points and the All Share Index by 0.41% to 3,239.87 points.
The transport index soared 2.43%, realty (2.1%), insurance (2.04%) and industrials (0.27%); while telecom declined 0.49%, consumer goods (0.28%) and banks and financial services (0.28%).
More than 53% of the traded stocks extended gains with major movers being Gulf Warehousing, Nakilat, Ezdan, Qatar Insurance, Qatar National Cement, Qatari German Company, Ahlibank Qatar and Dlala; even as Widam Food, Woqod, Mazaya Qatar, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar, QNB, Alijarah Holding, Gulf International Services and Aamal Company were among the losers.
Non-Qatari individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR3.8mn compared with net sellers of QR6.77mn on January 16.
Local individuals’ net profit booking declined significantly to QR64.2mn against QR91.46mn the previous day.
However, Gulf funds turned net sellers to the extent of QR9.79mn compared with net buyers of QR1.32mn on Wednesday.
Domestic institutions’ net buying shrank considerably to QR9.9mn against QR32.02mn on January 16.
Gulf individual investors’ net profit booking grew marginally to QR0.52mn compared to QR0.45mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying weakened noticeably to QR60.76mn against QR65.33mn on Wednesday.
Total trade volume fell 14% to 10.37mn shares and value by 27% to QR275.05mn, while transactions were up less than 1% to 7,080.
The banks and financial services sector saw a 28% plunge in trade volume to 2.69mn equities and 35% in value to QR104.34mn but on a 29% increase in deals to 1,698.
The real estate sector’s trade volume plummeted 27% to 1.44mn stocks, value by 21% to QR26.6mn and transactions by 12% to 856.
The transport sector reported a 12% shrinkage in trade volume to 1.06mn shares and 15% in value to QR29.25mn but on a 17% jump in deals to 657.
The telecom sector’s trade volume tanked 11% to 0.31mn equities and value by 16% to QR8.69mn whereas transactions grew 41% to 471.
There was a 7% decline in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.67mn stocks, 53% in value to QR26.93mn and 45% in deals to 570.
The industrials sector’s trade volume was down 3% to 3.78mn shares, value by 15% to QR67.06mn and transactions by 4% to 2,633.
However, the insurance sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.48mn equities and value almost tripled to QR12.18mn on almost-doubled-deals to 195.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and sovereign bonds.
