By Santhosh V. Perumal/Business Reporter

Qatar Stock Exchange opened the week on Sunday  on a stronger note, gaining for the sixth consecutive day, to surpass the 12,600 mark, mainly on the back of mid cap stocks.
Real estate, telecom, insurance and transport stocks were seen gaining faster as the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) rose 0.82% to 12,623.93 points with trade volumes also on the rise.
Islamic stocks were seen gaining faster in the bourse, which is up 2.75% year-to-date.
Both local and non-Qatari retail investors turned bullish in the market, where realty and telecom stocks cornered more than 58% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation expanded 0.78% or more than QR5bn to QR681.34bn with mid, small and micro cap equities gaining 1.89%, 0.78% and 0.26% respectively; while large caps were down 0.03%.
The Total Return Index rose 0.82% to 18,948.1 points, All Share Index by 0.86% to 3,263.76 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 1.8% to 4,471.13 points.
Real estate stocks appreciated 2.8%, telecom (1.89%), insurance (1.46%), transport (1.08%), industrials (1%) and banks and financial services (0.02%); while consumer goods fell 0.24%.
About 71% of the stocks extended gains with major movers being Barwa, Ezdan Real Estate, Mazaya Qatar, Vodafone Qatar, Nakilat, Aamal Company, Alijarah Holding, QNB, Doha Bank and Qatari Investors Group; even as United Development Company, Qatar Islamic Bank and Salam International Investment bucked the trend.
Qatari retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR12.69mn against net sellers of QR36.42mn the previous trading day.
Non-Qatari individual investors also turned net buyers to the extent of QR48.05mn compared with net sellers of QR29.08mn last Thursday.
Foreign institutions’ net buying sunk to QR3.07mn against QR31.02mn on February 5.
However, domestic institutions turned net profit takers to the tune of QR64.71mn against net buyers of QR34.47mn the previous trading day.
Total trade volume rose 43% to 40.25mn shares, value by 28% to QR1.13bn and transactions by 6% to 11,302.
The telecom sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 10.18mn stocks and value more than doubled to QR191.36mn on 22% jump in deals to 1,560.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 2.91mn equities and value almost doubled to QR69.51mn on 89% rise in transactions to 1,107.
The transport sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 1.47mn shares, while value surged 48% to QR46.41mn and deals by 33% to 334.
The industrials sector witnessed more than doubling of trade volume to 6.15mn stocks, value soared 64% to QR230.19mn and transactions by 45% to 2,337.
The market witnessed 33% expansion in the insurance sector’s trade volume to 0.2mn equities, 34% in value to QR12.47mn and 4% in deals to 152.
Although the banks and financial services’ trade volume rose 16% to 6.04mn shares; vale fell 10% to QR233.88mn and transactions by 2% to 2,608.
However, the real estate’s trade volume was down 7% to 13.3mn stocks but value rose 8% to QR349.43mn. Deals shrank 22% to 3,204.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.

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