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Reflecting the rally in the global bourses after the US Fed hiked interest rates to their highest level in more than two decades, the Qatar Stock Exchange on Thursday gained 130 points to inch towards 10,900 levels and capitalisation added QR9bn.The foreign institutions were increasingly into net buying as the 20-stock Qatar Index shot up 1.2% to 10,894.59 points.The industrials and real estate counters witnessed higher than average demand in the main market, which recovered from an intraday low of 10,750 points.As much as 52% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main bourse, whose year-to-date gains improved to 2%.The foreign individual investors’ lower net profit booking was seen influential in the main market, whose capitalisation added 1.37% to QR639.34bn with midcap segments gaining the most.The Gulf retail investors’ weakened net selling also had its say in the main bourse, which saw a total of 0.15mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.37mn changed hands across 12 deals.The local individuals and domestic institutions were increasingly net profit takers in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index soared 1.2%, All Share Index by 1.26% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 1.04% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The industrials sector index shot up 2.89%, realty (1.25%), banks and financial services (1.06%), transport (0.87%) and telecom (0.53%); while consumer goods and services declined 0.39% and insurance 0.12%.Major movers in the main market included Industries Qatar, Beema, QNB, Barwa, Ahlibank Qatar, Lesha Bank, Medicare Group, Qatar National Cement, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing, Qatar Electricity and Water, and Milaha.Nevertheless, Zad Holding, Doha Bank, Qatari German Medical Devices, Masraf Al Rayan, Inma Holding, Qatari Investors Group and Ezdan were among the losers in the main market. In the venture market, both Al Faleh Educational Holding and Mahhar Holding saw their stocks depreciate in value.The foreign institutions’ net buying increased noticeably to QR58.38mn compared to QR46.88mn on July 26.The Arab individuals’ net selling declined markedly to QR4.25mn against QR11.61mn the previous day.The foreign individual investors’ net profit booking shrank perceptibly to QR3.02mn compared to QR7.11mn on Wednesday.The Gulf retail investors’ net selling weakened marginally to QR0.93mn against QR1.77mn on July 26.However, the Qatari individuals’ net selling grew notably to QR50.02mn compared to QR47.35mn the previous day.The domestic funds’ net profit booking strengthened considerably to QR48.12mn against QR29.84mn on Wednesday.The Gulf institutions’ net buying decreased marginally to QR48.06mn compared to QR50.8mn on July 26.The Arab institutions were net sellers to the tune of QR0.08mn against no major net exposure the previous three sessions.The main market saw a 31% surge in trade volumes to 244.36mn shares, 15% in value to QR616.68mn and 20% in deals to 20,224.In the venture market, trade volumes tanked 32% to 0.17mn equities, value by 50% to QR0.29mn and transactions by 44% to 31.

Reflecting the global optimism on Chinese stimulus and ahead of the US Fed meeting, the Qatar Stock Exchange on Wednesday rose more than 220 points and its key index surpassed 10,700 levels and capitalisation gained about QR10bn.The banking counter witnessed higher than average demand as the 20-stock Qatar Index shot up 2.17% to 10,764.97 points.The Gulf institutions were seen increasingly into net buying in the main market, which hit an intraday high of 10,768 points.About 67% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main bourse, which returned 0.79% gains year-to-date.The foreign funds turned bullish in the main market, whose capitalisation added 1.6% to QR630.67bn with large and midcap segments gaining the most.However, the ,local retail investors were increasingly net sellers in the main bourse, which saw a total of 0.04mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.13mn changed hands across six deals.The domestic institutions were also increasingly net profit takers in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index soared 2.17%, All Share Index by 1.9% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 1.64% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The banks and financial services sector index zoomed 2.85%, industrials (1.96%), consumer goods and services (0.54%) and transport (0.53%); while insurance declined 0.61%, real estate 0.17% and telecom (0.14%).Major movers in the main market included Qatar Islamic Bank, Lesha Bank, Industries Qatar, Commercial Bank, Inma Holding, QIIB, Qatari German Medical Devices, Vodafone Qatar and Gulf Warehousing. In the venture market, Mahhar Holding saw its stocks appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Qatar Oman Investment, Ahlibank Qatar, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing and Mannai Corporation were among the losers in the main market.The Gulf institutions’ net buying increased significantly to QR50.8mn compared to QR22.45mn on July 25.The foreign funds turned net buyers to the tune of QR46.88mn against net sellers of QR21.85mn the previous day.However, the local retail investors’ net selling grew substantially to QR47.35mn compared to QR2.62mn on Tuesday.The domestic funds’ net profit booking strengthened considerably to QR29.84mn against QR3.83mn on July 25.The Arab individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR11.61mn compared with net buyers of QR6.93mn the previous day.The foreign individual investors’ net profit booking expanded markedly to QR7.11mn against QR0.71mn on Tuesday.The Gulf individual investors’ net selling jumped perceptibly to QR1.77mn compared to QR0.38mn on July 25.The Arab funds continued to have no major net exposure for the third straight session.The main market saw a 12% contraction in trade volumes to 186.2mn shares but on 4% rise in value to QR536.56mn despite 1% lower deals at 16,892.In the venture market, trade volumes surged 19% to 0.25mn equities, value by 23% to QR0.58mn and transactions by 77% to 55.

A higher than average demand for telecom, industrials, banking and insurance equities Tuesday led the Qatar Stock Exchange gain about 39 points and its key index surpassed.text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[57470]**10,500 levels.The Arab retail investors were seen net buyers as the 20-stock Qatar Index gained 0.37% to 10,535.95 points.More than 67% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main market, which had hit an intraday high of 10,603 points.The domestic funds’ weakened net selling had its influence in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses reduced further to 1.36%.The local retail investors’ lower net profit booking had its say in the main market, whose capitalisation added QR1.99bn or 0.32% to QR620.72n with small cap segments gaining the most.The foreign individuals’ net selling was seen weakening in the main bourse, which saw a total of 0.1mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.19mn changed hands across nine deals.The Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining faster than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index rose 0.37%, All Share Index by 0.34% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.39% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The telecom sector index expanded 0.77%, industrials (0.56%), banks and financial services (0.46%), insurance (0.45%) and real estate (0.02%); while consumer goods and services declined 0.54% and transport (0.3%).Major movers in the main market included Doha Bank, Dlala, Qatar Oman Investment, Alijarah Holding, Qatar National Cement, QIIB, Qatar Islamic Bank and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding. In the venture market, Mahhar Holding saw its stocks appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Widam Food, Inma Holding, Woqod, Ahlibank Qatar, Qatari Investors Group and Nakilat were among the losers in the main market.The Arab individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR6.93mn compared with net sellers of QR2.16mn on July 24.The domestic institutions’ net selling declined considerably to QR3.83mn against QR11.08mn the previous day.The local retail investors’ net profit booking fell noticeably to QR2.62mn compared to QR8.27mn on Monday.The foreign individual investors’ net selling shrank perceptibly to QR0.71mn against QR2.73mn on July 24.However, the foreign funds’ net selling expanded substantially to QR21.85mn compared to QR10.89mn the previous day.The Gulf individuals turned net sellers to the extent of QR0.38mn against net buyers of QR0.39mn on Monday.The Gulf institutions’ net buying weakened significantly to QR22.45mn compared to QR34.74mn on July 24.The Arab funds continued to have no major net exposure for the second straight session.The main market saw an 8% contraction in trade volumes to 211.88mn shares, 2% in value to QR516.54mn and 2% in deals to 17,124.In the venture market, trade volumes plummeted 71% to 0.21mn equities, value by 71% to QR0.47mn and transactions by 74% to 31.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Monday gained mere two points despite five of the seven sectors experiencing modest buying interests..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[57470]**The Gulf funds were seen increasingly into net buying as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.02% to 10,497.04 points.The transport, insurance, consumer goods and industrials counters witnessed higher than average demand in the main market, which had hit an intraday high of 10,546 points.The local retail investors’ weakened net selling had its influence in the main market, whose year-to-date losses reduced further to 1.72%.As much as 48% of the traded constituents extended gains in the main bourse, whose capitalisation nevertheless shed QR1.17bn or 0.19% to QR618.73n with microcap segments losing the most.However, the domestic funds were increasingly into net selling in the main market, which saw a total of 0.04mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR0.11mn changed hands across six deals.The foreign institutions’ net selling increased perceptibly in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining vis-à-vis gains in the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index was up 0.02% and All Share Index by 0.01%, while Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) fell 0.18% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover grew amidst lower volumes.The transport sector index gained 0.69%, insurance (0.56%), consumer goods and services (0.4%), industrials (0.22%) and banks and financial services (0.04%); while telecom declined 2.59% and real estate 0.72%.Major movers in the main market included Widam Food, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Qatar Oman Investment, Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution, Inma Holding and Commercial Bank. In the venture market, both Al Faleh Educational Holding and Mahhar Holding saw their stocks appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Ooredoo, QLM, Gulf International Services, Mekdam Holding, Salam International Investment, Estithmar Holding, Mazaya Qatar, Ezdan and Vodafone Qatar were among the losers in the main market.The Gulf institutions’ net buying increased perceptibly to QR34.74mn compared to QR30.91mn on July 21.The local retail investors’ net selling fell substantially to QR8.27mn against QR23.57mn the previous day.However, the domestic institutions’ net selling grew noticeably to QR11.08mn compared to QR5.76mn on Sunday.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking expanded markedly to QR10.89mn against QR4.16mn on July 21.The foreign retail investors’ net selling shot up notably to QR2.73mn compared to QR0.41mn the previous day.The Arab individuals turned net sellers to the extent of QR2.16mn against net buyers of QR2.45mn on Sunday.The Gulf individuals’ net buying decreased marginally to QR0.39mn compared to QR0.56mn on July 21.The Arab funds had no major net exposure against net profit takers to the tune of QR0.03mn the previous day.The main market saw a 5% contraction in trade volumes to 229.32mn shares, while 21% increase in value to QR526.53mn and 26% in deals to 17,418.In the venture market, trade volumes surged 74% to 0.73mn equities, value by 81% to QR1.63mn and transactions by 34% to 118.

Capital Intelligence (CI) has affirmed the long-term foreign currency rating (LT FCR) and long-term local currency rating (LT LCR) of Qatar at ‘AA’.The sovereign’s short-term (ST) FCR and ST LCR have been affirmed at ‘A1+’. The outlook for the ratings remains "stable".The ratings reflect Qatar's very strong external balances and budgetary performance, supported by favourable liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices.CI factored in the country’s capacity to absorb future external or financial shocks given the large portfolio of foreign assets held by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the consequent comfortable net external creditor position.The ratings continue to be supported by Qatar’s substantial low-cost hydrocarbon reserves, increasing LNG production and export capacity, high GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, and adequate official foreign reserves. It views the recent pickup in the pace of structural reforms as a supporting factor for the ratings.Finding that the financial buffers have continued to improve since last review, benefitting from favourable hydrocarbon prices and strong demand for LNG, it said very large budget and current account surpluses have contributed to a further increase in Qatar’s net asset position, with the QIA’s total assets estimated to be 202.7% of projected GDP this year.The central government budget surplus reached 14.2% of GDP in 2022 (4.3% in 2021), and is forecast to average 12.8% in 2023-25."While the reliance on hydrocarbon revenues remains a rating constraint, the government has ample leeway to respond to severe fluctuations in hydrocarbon prices given the size of fiscal buffers and the degree of expenditure flexibility," CI said.Central government deposits stood at 11.2% of GDP in May 2023, while total government and government institutions’ deposits in the domestic banking system alone were around 36.1% of GDP.According to CI’s estimates, gross central government debt (including short-term treasury bills and bank overdrafts) decreased faster than previously expected to 50.8% of GDP in 2022, from 73.5% in 2021, reflecting nominal GDP growth and a large primary budget surplus.It expects debt dynamics to remain “favourable” in the medium term, resulting in a further decrease in the central government debt ratio to 43.4% in 2025.Current account performance remains very strong, with the surplus increasing to 26.3% of GDP in 2022 (14.5% in 2021) and to 5.3% in Q1 23 (from 4.6% in Q1 22)."The current account is slated to remain in very large surplus, averaging 14.5% of GDP in 2023-25," it said.Gross external debt decreased to 149.8% of current account receipts in 2022, from 263.2% in 2021, while official foreign exchange reserves rose to $63.2bn from $57.7bn the same period.Highlighting that Qatar’s economic strength is moderate; it said economic activity has picked up since 2021 due to the rebound in both the hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon sectors.Highlighting that real GDP growth reached 4.7% in 2022, compared to 1.6% in 2021, and expanded by 2.7% in Q1 23; it said the short- to medium-term growth outlook remains relatively favourable, with real GDP expected to grow by an average of 2.5% in 2023-25, supported by infrastructure investments at Qatar’s largest gas field, as well as robust performance in the services sectors.Qatar’s ratings are underpinned by sizeable hydrocarbon reserves (around 12.9% of global gas reserves) and associated export capacity, which in turn provide the government with substantial financial means."Given the large hydrocarbon exports and rather small population, GDP per capita is expected to exceed $83,900 this year (higher than similarly rated peers)," CI said.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Sunday gained more than 48 points on the back of strong buying interests, especially in the real estate sector..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[57077]**The Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.47% to 10,494.91 points.The Arab retail investors were seen bullish in the main market, which had hit an intraday high of 10,529 points.The Gulf individuals were increasingly net buyers in the main market, whose year-to-date losses reduced further to 1.74%.The domestic fund’s weakened net selling had its profound influence in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR3.14bn or 0.51% to QR619.9bn with small cap segments gaining the most.The foreign retail investors’ lower net profit booking had its say in the main market, which saw a total of 0.01mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.04mn changed hands across eight deals.The Arab institutions’ net selling eased marginally in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining faster than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index rose 0.47%, All Share Index by 0.43% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.77% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The real estate sector shot ip 5.25%, banks and financial services (0.4%), industrials (0.18%), consumer goods and services (0.13%), insurance (0.1%) and telecom (0.05%); while transport declined 0.29%.As much as 66% of the traded constituents extended gains in the main bourse with major movers being Barwa, Qatar Oman Investment, QLM, Mannai Corporation, Inma Holding, Alijarah Holding, Salam International Investment, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing, Aamal Company, Ezdan and Mazaya Qatar. In the venture market, Mahhar Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Widam Food, Lesha Bank, Medicare Group, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance and Mekdam Holding were among the losers in the main market. In the juniour bourse, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.The Arab retail investors were net buyers to the tune of QR2.45mn compared with net sellers of QR6.1mn on July 20.The Gulf individuals’ net buying increased marginally to QR0.56mn against QR0.14mn the previous trading day.The domestic institutions’ net selling declined substantially to QR5.76mn compared to QR21.05mn last Thursday.The foreign retail investors’ net profit booking weakened noticeably to QR0.41mn against QR4.77mn on July 20.The Arab institutions’ net selling shrank marginally to QR0.03mn compared to QR0.28mn the previous day.However, the local retail investors’ net selling fell substantially to QR5.76mn against QR16.74mn last Thursday.The foreign institutions turned net sellers to the extent of QR4.16mn compared with net buyers of QR15.43mn on July 20.The Gulf institutions’ net buying decreased perceptibly to QR30.91mn against QR33.37mn the previous trading day.The main market saw a 14% contraction in trade volumes to 241.51mn shares, 18% in value to QR435.81mn and 26% in deals to 13,876.In the venture market, trade volumes surged 68% to 0.42mn equities, value by 67% to QR0.9mn and transactions by 96% to 88.

A higher than average demand for the banks and telecom scrips led the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) gain more than 2% this week.The Gulf funds were seen net buyers as the 20-stock Qatar Index shot up 2.24% this week which saw Qatar Islamic Bank report net profit of QR1.96bn in the first half (H1) of 2023.About 66% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors this week which saw Barwa Real Estate's fully-owned subsidiary Lusail Golf Development Company reach a pact to sell two land plots in the Lusail area for QR6.36bn.The foreign institutions were seen net buyers this week which saw Commercial Bank report H1 net profit of QR1.55bn.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices this week which saw Ahlibank Qatar register net profit of QR359.74mn in H1-2023.The Arab retail investors were seen bullish this week which saw Woqod report net profit of QR440.18mn in the first six months of this year.However, the local retail investors turned net profit takers in the main market this week which saw Qatar's ports see a 32% year-on-year increase in container transport volume in January-June 2023.The domestic institutions were also net sellers this week which Qatar register a more than eight-fold jump in contracts awarded to $10.4bn in the second quarter of 2023.The foreign individuals were seen bearish this week which saw a total of 0.41mn Masraf Al Rayan-sponsored exchange-traded fund QATR worth QR0.9mn trade across 27 deals.The Arab funds were net profit takers in the main market this week which saw as many as 0.03mn Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.34mn change hands across 32 transactions.Market capitalisation stood at QR616.76bn on the back of mid and small cap segments this week which saw the banks, consumer goods and industrials sectors together constitute about 78% of the total trade volume in the main market.The Total Return Index soared 2.24%, the All Share Index by 2.06% and the All Islamic Index by 1.8% this week, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The banking sector index shot up 3%, telecom (2.26%), real estate (1.44%), industrials (1.36%), consumer goods and services (0.74%), insurance (0.48%) and transport (0.32%) this week which saw no trading of treasury bills.Major gainers in the main market included Qatar Oman Investment, Salam International Investment, Qatar Islamic Bank, Mannai Corporation, Doha Bank, QNB, Lesha Bank, Alijarah Holding, Industries Qatar, Estithmar Holding, Qatar Electricity and Water, Gulf International Services, Mazaya Qatar, Barwa, Ezdan, Vodafone Qatar, Ooredoo and Gulf Warehousing. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding and Mahhar Holding saw their shares appreciate in value this week.Nevertheless, Widam Food, Dlala, Qatari German Medical Devices, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Beema and Qatar Industrial Manufacturing were among the losers this week.The Gulf institutions were net buyers to the tune of QR162.58mn, whereas the Gulf individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR3.45mn this week.The foreign funds were net buyers to the tune of QR48.19mn, while foreign retail investors were net sellers to the extent of QR10.88mn this week.The Arab individual investors were net buyers to the tune of QR6.26mn, whereas the Arab institutions were net profit takers to the extent of QR0.44mn this week.In the case of Qatari retail investors and domestic funds, both were net sellers to the tune of QR128.98mn and QR73.28mn respectively this week.The main market witnessed a total of 934.88mn shares valued at QR2.19bn changed hands across 82,703 deals this week.The venture market saw as many as 3.01mn equities valued at QR6.12mn trade across 527 transactions.

The Qatar Stock Exchange on Thursday gained about 68 points on the back of buying interests of foreign institutions.The telecom and banking counters witnessed higher than average demand as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.65% to 10,446.11 points.The Gulf retail investors were seen bullish, albeit at lower levels, in the main market, which recovered from an intraday low of 10,369 points.The local individuals’ substantially weakened net selling had its influence in the main market, whose year-to-date losses reduced further to 2.2%.The Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR3.23bn or 0.53% to QR616.76bn with small cap segments gaining the most.The domestic funds were seen net profit takers in the main market, which saw a total of 0.41mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR1mn changed hands across 31 deals.The Arab retail investors turned bearish in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index rose 0.65%, the All Share Index by 0.53% and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.51% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover fell amidst higher volumes.The telecom sector index shot up 1.61%, followed by banks and financial services (0.87%), transport (0.41%), real estate (0.33%) and consumer goods and services (0.05%); while insurance and industrials declined 0.77% and 0.06% respectively.Major gainers in the main market included Qatar Oman Investment, Salam International Investment, Qatar Islamic Bank, Medicare Group, Ooredoo, Lesha Bank, Alijarah Holding, Mannai Corporation, Mazaya Qatar, Gulf Warehousing and Nakilat.Nevertheless, Dlala, Beema, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing, Doha Insurance, Widam Food and Qatari German Medical Devices were among the shakers in the main market.In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding and Mahhar Holding saw their shares depreciate in value.The foreign institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR15.43mn compared with net sellers of QR12.88mn on July 19.The Gulf individuals turned net buyers to the extent of QR0.14mn against net sellers of QR3.73mn on Wednesday.The local retail investors’ net selling fell significantly to QR16.74mn compared to QR47.05mn the previous day.However, the domestic institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR21.05mn against net buyers of 10.42mn on July 19.The Arab retail investors were net sellers to the extent of QR6.1mn compared with net buyers of QR0.69mn on Wednesday.The foreign individuals' net profit booking increased marginally to QR4.77mn against QR4.38mn the previous day.The Arab institutions were net sellers to the tune of QR0.28mn compared with no major net exposure on July 19.The Gulf institutions’ net buying weakened noticeably to QR33.37mn against QR56.95mn the previous day.The main market saw a 13% jump in trade volumes to 282.3mn shares but on 6% decline in value to QR529.2mn amidst 4% increase in deals to 18,758.In the venture market, trade volumes were up 4% to 0.25mn equities, value by 42% to QR0.54mn and transactions by 25% to 45.

Qatar's industrial production increased 1.1% on an annualised basis in May 2023, on the back of faster expansion, especially in non-hydrocarbons such as chemicals and food products, according to official data.The country's industrial production index (IPI), however, tanked 6.3% on a monthly basis in the review period, according to the figures released by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).The PSA introduced IPI, a short-term quantitative index that measures the changes in the volume of production of a selected basket of industrial products over a given period, with respect to a base period 2013.The mining and quarrying index, which has a relative weight of 82.46%, rose by a marginal 0.8% on a yearly basis owing to a 0.8% increase in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas but other mining and quarrying sectors rose faster at 5.9%.On a monthly basis, the sector index plummeted 7.7% on account of a 7.7% slump in the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas, even as other mining and quarrying sectors shot up 4.3% in the review period.The manufacturing index, with a relative weight of 15.85%, expanded 3.6% year-on-year this May as there was a 12% increase in the production of chemicals and chemical products, 5.5% in food products, 1.7% in basic metals and 1.1% in beverages.Nevertheless, there was a 13% contraction in the production of refined petroleum products, 10.3% in rubber and plastics products, 9.1% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, and 8.7% in cement and other non-metallic mineral products in the review period.On a monthly basis, the manufacturing index fell 1.1% owing to an 11.1% contraction in the production of refined petroleum products, 2.3% in food products, and 1.6% in rubber and plastics products in May 2023.However, there was a 6.7% increase in the production of beverages, 4.5% in printing and reproduction of recorded media, 2.1% in basic metals, 0.6% in cement and other non-metallic mineral products, and 0.6% in chemicals and chemical products in the review period.Electricity, which has a 1.16% weight in the IPI basket, saw its index surge 1%and 34.7% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively in May 2023.In the case of water, which has a 0.53% weight, the index was seen declining 0.3% on an annualised basis but gained 8.7% month-on-month in the review period.

The mega North Field South (NFS) helped Qatar register more than eight-fold year-on-year jump in contracts awarded in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, according to Kamco Invest, a regional economic powerhouse."Total value of contracts awarded in Qatar jumped 8.3 times year-on-year to reach $10.4bn as compared to $1.1bn in Q2-2022," Kamco Invest said, quoting data gathered by MEED Projects.The growth in contract awards was mainly due to the performance of the country’s gas sector, which represented nearly 97% of total value of projects awarded during the quarter, it said.Total values of gas sector projects awarded jumped nearly 16 times to $10bn during Q2-2023 up from $600mn in Q2-2022. The steep growth of total values of projects awarded in the country was mainly due to one megaproject awarded by QatarEnergy, the country's hydrocarbons behemoth.The state-owned energy company has awarded a $10bn EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract for the NFS megaproject to a joint venture of Technip Energies and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC).Qatar’s NFS project is the second phase expansion of Qatar’s North Field project which remains the worlds’ largest single non-associated gas field and comprises of two LNG (liquefied natural gas) mega trains with a combined capacity of 16mn tonnes per annum.The EPC contract’s scope is extensive and includes the construction of two LNG trains with estimated capacity of 8mn each. The project also includes the construction of carbon capture and sequestration facilities.Elsewhere in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, the project awards surged 86% during Q2-2023 to $49.7bn, underlining the determination of the GCC countries to execute and reach their diversification targets."The strong rise in the total value of project awards in the GCC is also a significant indicator of the health of the economies in the GCC region. This was the highest quarterly project awards value for over five years," Kamco Invest said.All GCC project markets witnessed growth on an annualised basis during Q2-2023 except for Bahrain which remains the smallest project market in the region; while Saudi Arabia remained the largest projects market in the GCC during Q2-2023.Saudi Arabia’s project awards recorded 33.7% growth during the quarter to $24.4bn in Q2-2023.Comparatively, the UAE project awards jumped 127% to $12.2bn during the quarter.Contract awards in Kuwait increased from $922mn in Q2-2022 to $1.3bn during Q2-2023, the second-highest project value in the last six quarters.Saudi Arabia alone accounted over 49.1% of the contracts awarded in the GCC region during Q2-2023, while Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar combined represented 94.4% of the overall projects in the GCC.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Tuesday gained about 26 points mainly on the back of increased buying interests of Gulf institutions..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[55123]**The telecom and industrials counters witnessed higher than the average demand as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.25% to 10,306.04 points.The foreign and Arab retail investors were seen bullish in the main market, which recovered from an intraday low of 10,257 points.The domestic funds’ weakened net selling had its influence in the main market, whose year-to-date losses reduced further to 3.51%.The foreign institutions continued to be net profit takers but with lesser intensity in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR1.39bn or 0.23% to QR608.79bn with microcap segments gaining the most.The local individuals were increasingly net sellers in the main market, which saw a total of 5,867 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.01mn changed hands across five deals.The Gulf retail investors turned net bearish in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining faster than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index rose 0.25%, All Share Index by 0.16% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.29% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The telecom sector index shot up 1.8%, industrials (0.33%), consumer goods and services (0.15%) and banks and financial services (0.03%); while insurance declined 0.69%, real estate (0.1%) and transport (0.01%).Major gainers in the main market included Mekdam Holding, Ooredoo, Zad Holding, Qatari German Medical Devices, Mannai Corporation and Vodafone Qatar. In the venture market, Mahhar Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Widam Food, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Inma Holding, Qatar Islamic Insurance, Dlala and Mazaya Qatar were among the losers in the main market. In the juniour bourse, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.The Gulf institutions’ net buying strengthened noticeably to QR30.34mn compared to QR27.88mn on July 17.The foreign individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.74mn against net sellers of QR0.93mn the previous day.The Arab retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR0.43mn compared with net sellers of QR1.49mn on Monday.The domestic institutions’ net selling declined considerably to QR15.95mn against QR46.53mn on July 17.However, the local retail investors’ net selling rose significantly to QR22.39mn compared to QR12.68mn the previous day.The Gulf individuals turned net sellers to the extent of QR0.62mn against net buyers of QR0.03mn on Monday.The foreign institutions’ net buying decreased substantially to QR7.46mn compared to QR33.88mn on July 17.The Arab institutions had no major net exposure against net profit takers to the tune of QR0.14mn the previous day.The main market saw a 29% decline in trade volumes to 90.89mn shares, 30% in value to QR288.75mn and 22% in deals to 13,884.In the venture market, trade volumes were up 3% to 0.77mn equities, value by 3% to QR1.62mn and transactions by 12% to 161.

The Qatar Central Bank's (QCB) move to tighten the credit to the real estate sector is expected to not only lessen the stress in the banking industry but also augur well for the proposed real estate investment trusts (REITs)."The (commercial banks') exposure towards the (real estate) sector has been a key stress factor. The latest salvo will certainly address the imbalance," an analyst with a leading investment house said, viewing the move as “positive” by market experts.Finding that realty is one of the problematic areas in the country's non-performing loans; he said credit concentration has remained a "cause of concern", a phenomenon common across the banks in the Gulf Co-operation Council.Although the banking sector’s asset quality is currently good and capital buffers remain strong, banks are exposed to "significant" lending concentrations (in the real estate), global credit rating agency Capital Intelligence had said.The central bank had last week put in place new real estate financing controls to include determining the maximum -loan-to-value (LTV) and tenure- for mortgages within Qatar, as part of measures to bulwark the banking sector.Branches and overseas subsidiaries of Qatari banks should comply with the instructions and conditions of the host regulatory authorities as long as the collaterals and financed properties are outside the country.As Qatari banks’ total exposure to real estate reportedly represent roughly one-fifth of the total loans, the lenders have historically been focusing on lending to the sector, resulting in high loan concentration and asset-quality vulnerabilities.The latest financial stability report of the QCB said real estate continued to remain as one of the most important sector in Qatar’s economy."Despite some decline in recent years, the share of real estate in bank credit continues to be large," it said, adding "as a result, movements in real estate prices have the potential to impact the balance sheets of both individual borrowers and financial institutions, with implications on financial stability."Stressing that the banking sector already has strong capital adequacy ratio and Tier 1 capital ratios; the amendments will bring in a rationalised regime to the borrowers. Sources said the amendments also come in view of soon to be introduced REITs.The strong non-energy private sectors, especially the real estate and construction, and the permits issued in the realty sector, make REITs good investment option, the sources said.The cabinet resolution No 28 of 2020 allowed real estate investment funds that will specialise in property investment in the various regions, thus providing an opportunity that was previously unavailable to middle and limited-income citizens to invest in the real estate sector.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Monday gained about 55 points mainly on the back of increased buying interests of foreign and Gulf institutions..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[55123]**A higher than average demand for the banking scrips was visible as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.54% to 10,280.37 points.The local retail investors’ weakened net selling had its influence on the main market, which recovered from an intraday low of 10,197 points.However, about 54% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, whose year-to-date losses dropped to 3.75%.The domestic funds were seen increasingly into net profit booking in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR2.57bn or 0.42% to QR607.4bn with mid and microcap segments gaining the most.The Arab individual investors were seen net sellers in the main market, which saw a total of 0.01mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.11mn changed hands across nine deals.The Gulf retail investors continued to be net buyers but with lesser vigour in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index rose 0.54%, the All Share Index by 0.48% and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.38% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover was on the rise amidst lower volumes.The banks and financial services sector gained 0.8%, consumer goods and services (0.52%), insurance (0.45%), industrials (0.28%) and telecom (0.23%); while real estate declined 0.53% and transport (0.26%).Major gainers in the main market included Qatar Islamic Bank, Doha Bank, Qatar Electricity and Water, Dukhan Bank and Qatar National Cement. In the venture market, Al Faleh Educational Holding saw its shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatari German Medical Devices, Mekdam Holding, Al Khaleej Takaful, Qamco and Widam Food were among the losers in the main market. In the junior bourse, Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.The foreign institutions’ net buying increased substantially to QR33.88mn compared to QR4.3mn on July 16.The Gulf institutions’ net buying strengthened significantly to QR27.88mn against QR14.05mn the previous day.The local retail investors’ net selling declined noticeably to QR12.68mn compared to QR30.11mn on Sunday.The foreign individuals’ net profit booking eased marginally to QR0.93mn against QR1.53mn on July 16.However, the domestic funds’ net selling grew considerably to QR46.53mn compared to QR0.15mn the previous day.The Arab individual investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.49mn against net buyers of QR12.74mn on Sunday.The Arab institutions’ net profit booking was up notably to QR0.14mn compared to QR0.01mn on July 16.The Gulf retail investors’ net buying weakened perceptibly to QR0.03mn against QR0.72mn the previous day.The main market saw a 31% decline in trade volumes to 128.18mn shares but on 4% jump in value to QR410.69mn and 26% in deals to 17,896.In the venture market, trade volumes shrank 26% to 0.75mn equities and value by 22% to QR1.57mn, while transactions were up 2% to 144.

Soft music, cozy interiors and decor, soothing surroundings and a coffee shop. Don't get carried away by thoughts of a plush foyer of a five-star hotel; this is the new normal in Doha's working environment, reflecting the metamorphosis in the country’s office market.It is exactly what Qatar's colourful and vibrant co-working spaces have to offer as an ergonomic solution to the rising demand, especially from millennials as they scout for such unconventional spots that can unleash and enhance their productivity and save on overhead costs.Co-working is a new style of workspace where people from variegated entities share an open common space rather than work in a private office. It is a better way to work; sharing space with other like-minded professionals not only creates a more dynamic workplace, but it is also a lot more cost effective than a regular office space.Interestingly, the co-working space helps break the monotony of working from the same place with some of the providers offering flexibility to work from any of their places in Qatar."There is plenty of demand for these trendy, alternative places to work from, especially among people who have studied abroad, and there isn’t yet that much offering available," said Pedro Caetano, head of Ecosystem, Vesuvio Labs, who is a client in M7, one of the co-working spaces in the country.At present, the flexible offices account for around 8% of the total office stock in Amsterdam and around 5% in London.In Qatar, occupancy is catching up in the co-working sector in view of flexible working models in a post-pandemic world. It is an indicator of growing acceptance due to the proactive approach towards fintechs and other such establishments.Opportunities are abounding for the sector and appurtenant services in view of the growing entrepreneurship in the fastest-growing economy.According to reports, the co-working office spaces in Qatar are slated to see a compound annual growth rate in excess of 5% during 2022-2027, driven by the organisations’ drive to strike a balance between productivity and cost optimisation.This also comes in view of the demand for flexible workspaces, especially among startups, real estate, SMEs or small- and medium-sized enterprises, and consultancies.Doha is witnessing a surge in demand for flexible office space, which has the potential for higher returns. This is helping not only small and medium-sized businesses find new opportunities but also the millennial generation that finds entrepreneurship more rewarding because of the encouragement and support from the government and other stakeholders.Qatar Development Bank (QDB), which offers financial services, had in 2021 launched a hackathon, which was held in collaboration with Workinton, the fastest-growing entrepreneur in the co-working sector, as the venue partner.This hackathon was held to address many contemporary challenges that aim to unlock the capabilities and innovative ideas of Qatar’s aspiring entrepreneurs, its brightest thinkers, innovators and businessmen.Among the key providers of co-working space in Qatar are Servcorp, Workinton, Co-worker, Easy Cowork, Alliance Business Centres Network and Regus.Australia-based Servcorp is the frontrunner in bringing the co-working space concept to Qatar and it has three locations – Tornado Tower, Doha Tower and Commercial Bank Plaza.Regus has nine locations - Shourmouk Towers, Al Ghanem Building, Lusail Twin Towers, Alfardan Towers, Al Muntazah Commercial Centre, Bank Street Blue Building, Jaidah Square, D-Ring Road and The Pearl Island.Smaller suites and serviced office space have been seeing an upward trend in demand as they become more affordable and many businesses can be seen relocating in search of better deals.The launch of Workinton M7, an intersection of an art gallery and a working space, marks a brand-new concept that will be home to talents in the creative and technology fields. Workinton M7, a creative and tech startup hub opened its fourth co-working space in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha last year.M7, a fusion of art and technology yet not losing the essence of Arabic architecture, has fast become the new place to be for design, innovation and entrepreneurship, dedicated to empowering creative talents to explore, collaborate and grow into successful entrepreneurs."Usually I work from the M7 downtown Msheireb branch, but sometimes it is good to change the view for a couple of days, and without further notice, I can work from Workinton’s Lusail or Bank Street branch. That means a lot to me," Caetano said.The global co-working space market size is expected to reach $19.05bn this year from $16.17bn in 2022, translating into 17.8% CAGR. It is slated to further grow to $34.99bn in 2027 at a CAGR of 16.4%.According to a recent study, by 2025, flexible workspaces will make up more than 60% of the total office demand in the Gulf Co-operation Council.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Thursday fell more than 20 points on the back of selling pressure especially in the consumer goods and banking sectors..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[42826]**The foreign institutions were increasingly net sellers as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.2% to 10,271.46 points.The Arab individuals were seen increasingly into net profit booking in the main market, which however regained from an intraday low of 10,218 points.More than 55% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, whose year-to-date losses increased to 3.83%.The foreign retail investors turned bearish in the main bourse, whose capitalisation however was up QR0.59bn or 0.1% to QR611.44bn, mainly on account of microcap segments.However, the domestic institutions were increasingly net buyers in the main market, which saw a total of 13,644 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.08mn changed hands across eight deals.The Gulf funds were increasingly bullish in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than the main index in the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index was down 0.2%, All Share Index by 0.21% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.04% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decrease.The consumer goods and services sector index fell 0.53%, banks and financial services (0.48%) and industrials (0.1%); while real estate gained 1.85%, insurance (0.21%), telecom (0.14%) and transport (0.13%).Major losers in the main market included Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Qatar National Cement, Inma Holding, Widam Food, Al Khaleej Takaful, Commercial Bank, QIIB, Al Meera, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding and Estithmar Holding. In the venture market, both Al Faleh Educational Holding and Mahhar Holding shares depreciated in value.Nevertheless, QLM, Ezdan, Dukhan Bank, United Development Company, Qatar Insurance, Mazaya Qatar and Nakilat were among the gainers in the main market.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking increased substantially to QR48.18mn compared to QR28.79mn on June 14.The Arab retail investors’ net selling shot up considerably to QR16.08mn against QR1.9mn the previous day.The foreign individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR5.88mn compared with net buyers of QR15.06mn on Wednesday.However, the domestic institutions’ net buying strengthened significantly to QR38.52mn against QR9.3mn on June 14.The Gulf institutional investors’ net buying grew drastically to QR31.89mn compared to QR15.83mn the previous day.The Gulf individual investors were net buyers to the extent of QR0.04mn against net sellers of QR1.83mn on Wednesday.The Qatari individuals’ net profit booking eased noticeably to QR0.32mn compared to QR7.68mn on June 14.The Arab institutions had no major next exposure for the fifth straight session.The main market saw a 36% surge in trade volumes to 343.55mn shares, 92% in value to QR1.07bn and 21% in deals to 22,914.The volumes in the venture market shrank 29% to 0.37mn equities, value by 32% to QR0.84mn and transactions by 40% to 48.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Wednesday gained for the second consecutive day and its index added another 76 points, mainly lifted by the insurance and banking sectors..text-box { float:left; width:250px; padding:1px; border:1pt white; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 20px;}@media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.text-box {width: 30%;}}**media[42826]**The foreign individuals were seen increasingly into net buying as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.76% to 10,291.76 points.The domestic institutions turned bullish in the main market, which regained from an intraday low of 10,240 points.As much as 63% of the traded constituents extended gains in the main market, whose year-to-date losses truncated to 3.64%.The foreign institutions’ weakened net selling had its influence on the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR5.38bn or 0.89% to QR610.85bn, mainly on account of mid and small cap segments.The Gulf institutions continued to be net buyers but with lesser intensity in the main market, which saw a total of 22,391 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan) valued at QR0.05mn changed hands across nine deals.The local retail investors turned net profit takers in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than the main index in the other indices in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index shot up 0.75%, the All Share Index by 0.81% and the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.53% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The insurance sector index rose 1.2%, banks and financial services (1.06%), industrials (0.7%), telecom (0.6%), real estate (0.5%) and transport (0.35%); while the consumer goods and services were down 0.04%.Major gainers in the main market included Lesha Bank, Inma Holding, Salam International Investment, Ezdan, Qatar Oman Investment, Industries Qatar, QNB, Qatar Insurance, Mazaya Qatar and Al Khaleej Takaful.In the venture market, both Al Faleh Educational Holding and Al Mahhar Holding saw their shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, Qatari German Medical Devices, Mannai Corporation, Qatar National Cement, Qamco, Woqod and Barwa were among the shakers in the main market.The foreign individuals’ net buying increased substantially to QR15.06mn compared to QR0.89mn on June 13.The domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR9.3mn against net sellers of QR17.84mn on Tuesday.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking decreased noticeably to QR28.79mn compared to QR40.87mn the previous day.However, the Qatari individuals were net sellers to the extent of QR7.68mn against net buyers of QR5.46mn on June 13.The Arab retail investors turned net profit takers to the tune of QR1.9mn compared with net buyers of QR6.55mn on Tuesday.The Gulf individual investors were net sellers to the extent of QR1.83mn against net buyers of QR0.15mn the previous day.The Gulf institutional investors’ net buying decreased considerably to QR15.83mn compared to QR45.65mn on June 13.The Arab institutions had no major next exposure for the fourth straight session.The main market saw a 56% surge in trade volumes to 252.96mn shares, 18% in value to QR558.81mn and 12% in deals to 19,001.The volumes in the venture market doubled to 0.52mn equities and value more than doubled to QR1.22mn on 43% increase in transactions to 80.

The Qatar Stock Exchange Monday lost another 58 points and its key index settled below 10,200 levels, mainly on the back of profit booking from domestic funds.The transport and banking counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell 0.57% to 10,150.63 points.More than 53% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, which had touched an intraday high of 10,223 points.The foreign institutions were increasingly bearish in the main bourse, whose year-to-date losses widened to 4.97%.The foreign individual investors were seen net sellers in the main bourse, whose capitalisation eroded QR2.77bn or 0.46% to QR601.12bn, mainly on account of small cap segments.The Gulf institutions’ weakened net buying had its influence in the main market, which saw a total of 0.05mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.13mn changed hands across four deals.However, the local retail investors turned net buyers in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than the main index in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Total Return Index shed 0.57%, All Share Index by 0.45% and Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) by 0.19% in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The transport sector index shed 0.84%, banks and financial services (0.68%), consumer goods and services (0.38%), industrials (0.31%) and telecom (0.07%); while insurance and real estate gained 1.39% and 0.37% respectively.Major losers in the main market included Qatari German Medical Devices, Widam Food, Nakilat, Medicare Group, Commercial Bank, Inma Holding, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Qamco, QLM and Gulf Warehousing. In the venture market, Mahhar Holding saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Estithmar Holding, Qatar Insurance, United Development Company, Lesha Bank and Mannai Corporation were among the gainers in the main market.The domestic institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR20.72mn compared with net buyers of QR15.77mn on June 11.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking increased perceptibly to QR13.28mn against QR11.77mn the previous day.The foreign individuals turned net sellers to the extent of QR3.98mn compared with net buyers of QR0.12mn on Sunday.The Gulf institutional investors’ net buying decreased markedly to QR8mn against QR9.24mn on June 11.However, the Qatari individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR27.95mn compared with net sellers of QR6.59mn the previous day.The Arab retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR1.1mn against net sellers of QR6.4mn on Sunday.The Gulf individual investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.92mn compared with net sellers of QR0.38mn on June 11.The Arab institutions had no major next exposure for the third straight session.The main market saw an 85% surge in trade volumes to 182.34mn shares, 80% in value to QR483mn and 97% in deals to 17,919. The volumes in the venture market shrank 34% to 0.23mn equities, value by 35% to QR0.53mn and transactions by 42% to 43.

Mekdam Holding is planning to raise as much as QR75.3mn through a rights issue as part of the efforts to shore up its capital base and part fund its expansion plans in view of the “promising” opportunities for growth.The company's extraordinary general assembly approved the board's proposal to offer 30mn shares at QR2.51 (including QR1.51 premium). This was announced by Mekdam Holding chairman Sheikh Mohamed Nawaf N B K al-Thani after the meeting.After the rights issue, the company's capital would increase by 40% (QR40mn) to QR105mn; while the remaining would be utilised for its expansion plans.As per the company's prospectus, the rights issue is expected to hit the market on July 4 and will run up to July 17.Mekdam Holding believes that the group's business is promising and there are great opportunities for steady growth as it reasoned for the capital increase. The company's revenues grew by 94.3% and 85.4% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The earnings per share grew by 21.1% and 20% in 2021 and 2022, respectively, on an annualised basis.Two shares are being offered for every five shares held in accordance with the provisions of the Commercial Companies Law No. (11) of 2015 amended by Law No 8 of 2021 and the Offering and Listing of Securities Regulations and the Rights Issue Trading System issued by the Qatar Financial Market Authority (QFMA).The issuance premium includes the offering fee, which will not exceed 1% of the value of the subscribed shares, provided that the group obtains the necessary approvals from the regulatory and competent authorities during and upon completion of the procedures.The extraordinary general assembly approved the mechanism for trading the subscription rights granted to the shareholders of the group in accordance with the provisions of Article (195) of the Commercial Companies Law No 11 of 2015 amended by Law No 8 of 2021 and the system of offering and listing of securities and the system of trading of subscription rights issued by the QFMA.The meeting also approved the authorisation of the chairman of the board of directors to set a date and announce the start and end of periods for trading rights issue and subscription to new shares and all information according to the applicable laws and regulations.