The Qatar Stock Exchange on Wednesday witnessed strong buying interests at the transport counter; yet it settled marginally down, but remained above 10,700 levels.
Foreign funds continued to be buyers but with lesser intensity as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.03% lower at 10,719.4 points.
The non-Qatari and Gulf individuals were increasingly bearish on the market, whose sensitive index is however up 4.08% year-to-date.
Market capitalisation declined QR68mn or 0.11% to QR616.04bn mainly owing to microcap segments.
Islamic equities were seen declining faster than the other indices on the market, where domestic funds turned bullish and there was weakened selling pressure from local retail investors.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline on the bourse, where industrials, realty and banking sectors together accounted for about 80% of the total volume.
The Total Return Index was down 0.03% to 18,886.4 points, Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.09% to 2,507.76 points and All Share Index by 0.08% to 3,243.1 points.
The telecom index declined 0.4%, real estate (0.31%), consumer goods (0.22%), industrials (0.16%), insurance (0.07%) and banks and financial services (0.06%); while transport gained 1.31%.
Major losers included Commercial Bank, Ahlibank Qatar, Alijarah Holding, Gulf International Services, Qatar Electricity and Water, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Mazaya Qatar, Ezdan and Ooredoo; even as Nakilat, Gulf Warehousing, Islamic Holding Group, Salam International Investment and Qatar National Cement were among the prime gainers.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying declined considerably to QR39.42mn compared to QR83.91mn on January 29.
Non-Qatari individuals’ net profit booking grew noticeably to QR2.33mn against QR0.35mn the previous day.
The Gulf individual investors’ net selling rose perceptibly to QR2.31mn compared to QR1.17mn on Tuesday.
However, the Gulf institutions’ net buying shot up significantly to QR14.87mn against QR4.33mn on January 29.
Domestic funds turned net buyers to the tune of QR11.09mn compared with net sellers of QR4.82mn the previous day.
Local individuals’ net profit booking weakened influentially to QR60.76mn against QR81.89mn on Tuesday.
Total trade volume fell 36% to 6.69mn shares, value by 39% to QR215.75mn and transactions by 24% to 5,158.
The insurance sector’s trade volume plummeted 78% to 0.1mn equities, value by 74% to QR3.84mn and deals by 61% to 134.
The banks and financial services sector saw 49% plunge in trade volume to 1.66mn stocks, 46% in value to QR75.53mn and 30% in transactions to 1,259.
The industrials sector’s trade volume tanked 33% to 1.83mn shares, value by 38% to QR51.7mn and deals by 29% to 1,525.
The real estate sector reported 29% shrinkage in trade volume to 1.83mn equities, 32% in value to QR33.94mn and 4% in transactions to 1,273.
The transport sector’s trade volume declined 28% to 0.52mn stocks, value by 31% to QR12.7mn and deals by 30% to 258.
There was 25% contraction in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.39mn shares, 34% in value to QR29.24mn and 45% in transactions to 329.
However, the telecom sector’s trade volume soared 33% to 0.36mn equities and value by 67% to QR8.79mn on almost doubled deals to 380.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and sovereign bonds.
