Stronger buying interests from foreign funds and local retail investors Monday drove the Qatar Stock Exchange up more than 31 points to 10,450 points.
Banking and consumer goods counters witnessed higher than average demand as the 20-stock Qatar Index settled 0.3% higher, amidst higher trading volumes.
Non-Qatari individuals were also seen bullish on the market, which reported 1.47% gains year-to-date.
Market capitalisation saw about QR3bn or 0.48% increase to QR584.4bn mainly owing to small and midcap segments.
Islamic stocks were seen declining vis-à-vis gains in the other indices on the market, where domestic institutions turned net profit takers.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the rise on the bourse, where banking and industrials sectors together accounted for about 62% of the total volume.
The Total Return Index grew 0.3% to 19,228.8 points and All Share Index by 0.47% to 3,106.01 points, while Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) was down 0.08% to 2,317.75 points.
The banks and financial services index expanded 0.89%, consumer goods (0.31%), telecom (0.23%) and transport (0.11%); while insurance declined 1.03%, industrials (0.07%) and real estate (0.02%).
About 47% of the stocks extended gains to investors with major movers being Commercial Bank, QNB, Alijarah Holding, Qatar Oman Investment, Zad Holding, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing, Qatar National Cement, Gulf International Services, United Development Company, Ooredoo and Gulf Warehousing; even as Dlala, Barwa, Ezdan, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Qatari Investors Group and Vodafone Qatar were among the losers.
Non-Qatari institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR4.86mn compared with net sellers of QR12.43mn on December 29.
Local retail investors also turned net buyers to the extent of QR3.58mn against net sellers of QR1.59mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari individuals were net buyers to the tune of QR2.96mn compared with net profit takers of QR1.73mn on Sunday.
However, domestic funds turned net sellers to the extent of QR11.99mn against net buyers of QR13.21mn on December 29.
The Gulf institutions’ net buying eased noticeably to QR0.57mn compared to QR1.73mn the previous day.
The Gulf individual investors’ net buying weakened marginally to QR0.02mn against QR0.8mn on Sunday.
Total trade volumes rose 7% to 50.15mn shares, value by 24% to QR195.86mn and transactions by 31% to 4,988.
The insurance sector’s trade volume grew about seven-fold to 1.5mn equities and value by more than six-fold to QR3.96mn on more than quadrupled deals to 169.
The consumer goods sector reported 44% surge in trade volume to 4.41mn stocks and 85% in value to QR15.73mn but on 14% fall in transactions to 665.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume soared 21% to 20.12mn shares, value by 22% to QR122.44mn and deals by 44% to 2,218.
There was 20% expansion in the telecom sector’s trade volume to 4.24mn equities and 39% in value to QR8.29mn on almost doubled transactions to 360.
The real estate sector’s trade volume was up 10% to 8.27mn stocks, value by 64% to QR11.82mn and deals by 50% to 393.
However, the transport sector saw 80% plunge in trade volume to 0.84mn shares, 76% in value to QR3mn and 37% in transactions to 111.
The industrials sector’s trade volume declined 9% to 10.77mn equities, whereas value shot up 35% to QR30.61mn and deals by 31% to 1,072.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and sovereign bonds.
Related Story