Robust buying – especially in realty, consumer goods and industrials – yesterday lifted the Qatar Exchange to a 27-month high.

Domestic institutions’ strong buying interests led the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) gain 0.60% to 8,900.25 points, the highest level since February 2011.
Local retail investors were seen booking profit briskly; the market is up 6.48% year-to-date (YTD).
About 67% of the stocks witnessed gains with major movers being QNB, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, Widam Food, Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, United Development Company, Barwa and Ezdan Real Estate.
The 20-stock Total Return Index also gained 0.60% to 12,716.42 points, the All Share Index (comprising wider constituents) by 0.68% to 2,272.34 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.79% to 2,703.69 points.
All the three indices factored in dividend income as well.
Under the All Share Index category, the index of real estate surged the maximum of 1.34%, followed by consumer goods (1.22%), industrials (0.95%), insurance (0.84%), banks and financial services (0.40%), transport (0.36%) and telecom (0.35%).
Industrials, consumer goods, telecom, transport, insurance and banks and financial services stocks gained YTD 21.20%, 17.29%, 16.75%, 14.09%, 8.46% and 7.99% respectively. The realty index rose 2.54%.
Market capitalisation expanded 0.88%, or more than QR4bn, to QR499.40bn with small, mid, large and micro cap equities gaining 0.82%, 0.66%, 0.63% and 0.36% respectively.
Small, large and mid cap equities have gained YTD 7.12%, 7.09% and 6.43% respectively; while micro caps fell 2.82%.
Of the 42 stocks, 28 advanced, while seven declined, five were unchanged and two were not traded. Domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of 6.07% or QR31.35mn. A much higher 38.80% of them were into buying against 16.78% on Sunday, whereas a much lower 32.73% of them into selling compared to 45%.
Foreign institutions’ net buying sunk to 22.61% or QR116.76mn. A much lower 27.50% of them bought equities against 47.55% the previous day and a lower 4.89% offloaded compared to 6.43%.
Qatari individual investors’ net profit-booking zoomed to 28.20% or QR145.63mn. A marginally lower 26.07% of them purchased equities against 27.28% on Sunday, while a much higher 54.27% sold compared to 36.30%.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net selling fell to 0.48% or QR2.48mn. A lower 7.62% of them bought equities against 8.39% the previous day and a lower 8.10% sold compared to 12.27%.
Total trading volume surged 77% to 13.48mn shares and value more than doubled to QR516.43mn on a 33% jump in deals to 5,054.
The telecom sector’s trading volume more than tripled to 3.53mn shares and value more than doubled to QR45.04mn on a 41% rise in transactions to 662.
The consumer goods and services sector’s trading volume surged 88% to 0.94mn shares, value by 68% to QR60.57mn and deals by 76% to 718.
The industrials sector’s trading volume declined soared 84% to 1.40mn shares, value by 61% to QR68.70mn and transactions by 52% to 849.
The real estate sector’s trading volume expanded 60% to 3.86mn shares and value more than doubled to QR76.99mn on a 70% gain in deals to 1,186.
The transport sector’s trading volume gained 41% to 0.55mn shares, value by 50% to QR11.75mn and transactions by 59% to 357.
The banks and financial services sector’s trading volume shot up 36% to 3.12mn shares and value more than doubled to QR249.62mn but deals fell 10% to 1,211.
However, the insurance sector’s trading volume shrank 20% to 0.08mn shares, value by 29% QR3.76mn and transactions by 21% to 71.
Actively traded stocks (in terms of volume) were Vodafone Qatar (3.42mn shares); UDC (2.28mn); QNB (1.31mn); Qatari Investors Group (986,908) and Masraf Al Rayan (738,668).
In the debt market, a total of 10,000 treasury bills (TA58) valued at QR99.27mn changed hands across mere one transaction.
Source: Caye Global News, Gulf Times
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