Foreign institutions’ substantial buying interests were largely contained by strong selling pressure from local retail investors and domestic funds, leading the Qatar Stock Exchange tread a flat course on Thursday.
Notwithstanding robust buying interests at the telecom, real estate and banking counters, the 20-stock Qatar Index settled mere 0.01% higher at 10,720.31 points.
Gulf institutions were seen bearish in the market, whose sensitive index is up 4.09% year-to-date.
Market capitalisation was down QR18mn, or 0.03%, to QR615.86bn mainly owing to microcap segments.
Islamic equities were seen declining vis-a-vis gains in the other indices in the market, where Gulf individuals were increasingly net profit takers.
Trade turnover and volumes were on the increase in the bourse, where the realty and industrials sectors together accounted for about 54% of the total volume.
The Total Return Index was up 0.01% to 18,887.99 points and the All Share Index by 0.04% to 3,244.39 points, while the Al Rayan Islamic Index (Price) was down 0.1% to 2,505.3 points.
The transport index declined 0.75%, industrials (0.64%), consumer goods (0.33%) and insurance (0.15%); whereas telecom gained 1.21%, realty (0.6%) and banks and financial services (0.19%).
Major losers included Gulf Warehousing, Milaha, Qatari Investors Group, Industries Qatar, Islamic Holding Group, Dlala, Zad Holding, Salam International Investment and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding; even as Vodafone Qatar, Ahlibank Qatar, Alijarah Holding, Qatar Industrial Manufacturing, Ezdan, Mazaya Qatar and Barwa were among the primer gainers.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying grew considerably to QR113.74mn compared to QR39.42mn on January 30.
Non-Qatari individuals’ net profit booking declined perceptibly to QR1.3mn against QR2.33mn the previous day.
However, local individuals’ net selling increased influentially to QR87.45mn compared to QR60.76mn on Wednesday.
Domestic funds turned net sellers to the tune of QR17.09mn against net buyers of QR11.09mn on January 30.
Gulf individual investors’ net selling rose noticeably to QR4.34mn compared to QR2.31mn the previous day.
Gulf institutions turned net profit takers to the extent of QR3.52mn against net buyers of QR14.87mn on Wednesday.
Total trade volume grew 43% to 9.55mn shares, value by 47% to QR317.09mn and transactions by 22% to 6,278.
The telecom sector’s trade volume grew almost five-fold to 1.78mn equities and value more than doubled to QR24.49mn on almost-doubled-deals to 748.
The banks and financial services sector saw a 48% surge in trade volume to 2.46mn stocks to more than double value to QR157.22mn on a 19% jump in transactions to 1,496.
The real estate sector’s trade volume soared 45% to 2.65mn shares, value by 36% to QR46.3mn and deals by 9% to 1,389.
The insurance sector reported a 40% surge in trade volume to 0.14mn equities, 42% in value to QR5.45mn and 30% in transactions to 174.
There was a 2% growth in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 1.87mn stocks but on less than 1% fall in value to QR51.6mn despite 26% higher deals at 1,922.
However, the consumer goods sector’s trade volume plummeted 28% to 0.28mn shares, value by 24% to QR22.31mn and transactions by 1% to 327.
The transport sector reported a 27% plunge in trade volume to 0.38mn equities, 23% in value to QR9.74mn and 14% in deals to 222.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and sovereign bonds.
