The Qatar Stock Exchange on Sunday witnessed a roller-coaster ride throughout the trading session and the index settled marginally higher.

Domestic institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.03% higher at 10,313.84 points.

The telecom, insurance and industrials counters witnessed some buying in the market, whose key benchmark is up 0.14% year-to-date.

Market capitalisation saw QR84mn, or 0.15%, increase to QR572.51bn mainly owing to microcap segments.

Islamic equities were gaining faster than the other indices in the market, where local retail investors turned bearish.

Trade turnover and volumes were on the decline in the bourse, where the industrials, consumer goods and banking sectors together accounted for more than 78% of the total volume.

The Total Return Index was up 0.03% to 18,978.34 points, the All Share Index by 0.13% to 3,045.85 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.18% to 2,326.38 points.

The telecom index gained 1.38%, insurance (0.54%), industrials (0.32%) and consumer goods (0.03%); while transport and real estate declined 0.19% and 0.13% respectively.

Major gainers included Ooredoo, Al Khaliji, Qatar First Bank, Qatar Oman Investment, Qatari German Company for Medical Devices, Qatar National Cement, Industries Qatar, Aamal Company and Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance; even as Nakilat, Doha Bank, Dlala, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding and Barwa were among the losers.

Non-Qatari institutions’ net selling declined substantially to QR8.5mn compared to QR21.8mn the previous trading day.

Gulf institutions’ net profit booking weakened marginally to QR2.46mn against QR3.11mn last Thursday.

However, non-Qatari individuals’ net selling increased perceptibly to QR3.03mn compared to QR0.94mn on October 3.

Local retail investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR2.17mn against net buyers of QR3.97mn the previous trading day.

Gulf individuals’ net profit booking grew noticeably to QR1.26mn compared to QR0.12mn last Thursday.

Domestic institutions’ net buying shrank influentially to QR17.43mn against QR22mn on October 3.

Total trade volume fell 22% to 57.39mn shares, value by 25% to QR123.06mn and transactions by 42% to 3,397.

There was a 68% plunge in the transport sector’s trade volume to 0.37mn equities, 72% in value to QR0.97mn and 59% in deals to 47.

The real estate sector’s trade volume plummeted 37% to 8.91mn stocks, value by 48% to QR8.57mn and transactions by 86% to 190.

The market witnessed a 32% shrinkage in the insurance sector’s trade volume to 1.83mn shares, 28% in value to QR6.02mn and 32% in deals to 179.

The industrials sector’s trade volume tanked 30% to 18.54mn equities, value by 39% to QR19.85mn and transactions by 25% to 1,304.

The banks and financial services sector saw a 22% erosion in trade volume to 11.63mn stocks, 21% in value to QR57.29mn and 41% in deals to 808.

However, the consumer goods sector’s trade volume expanded 16% to 14.84mn shares, while value declined 15% to QR23.15mn and transactions by 29% to 524.

There was a 3% jump in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 1.26mn equities, 75% in value to QR7.21mn and 22% in deals to 345.

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