By Santhosh V. Perumal
Business Reporter

The Qatar Stock Exchange was back in the positive trajectory on Monday, gaining 45 points to cross the 11,900 mark, on sustained buying support from local retail investors and foreign institutions.
The 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.38% to 11,903.23 points on the back of buying interests in the insurance, real estate, telecom and transport equities.
However, profit-booking from domestic as well as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) institutions strengthened in the market, which is down 3.11% year-to-date.
Shariah-principled stocks gained faster than the other equities in the bourse, where trading was largely skewed towards the realty and telecom sectors, whose stocks together constituted more than 77% of overall trading volume.
Market capitalisation rose 0.29%, or about QR2bn, to QR633.49bn with mid, micro and small cap equities gaining 1.46%, 0.39% and 0.27% respectively; even as large caps fell 0.12%.
The Total Return Index gained 0.38% to 18,498.24 points, the All Share Index by 0.4% to 3,186.92 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.52% to 4,631.64 points.
Insurance stocks appreciated 3%, followed by real estate and telecom (0.56% each), transport (0.41%), consumer goods (0.26%), banks and financial services (0.17%) and industrials (0.04%).
About 62% of the stocks extended gains with influential movers being Qatar Insurance, Vodafone Qatar, Ezdan, Mazaya Qatar, United Development Company, Doha Bank, Alijarah Holding, Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group and Nakilat.
However, QNB, Ooredoo, Qatar Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank and Gulf International Services were seen bucking the trend.
Local retail investors’ net buying strengthened to QR27.44mn compared to QR2.53mn the previous day.
Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying increased to QR13.64mn against QR3.19mn on Sunday.
However, domestic institutions’ net selling strengthened to QR34.95mn compared to QR9.13mn on June 14.
The GCC individual investors turned net sellers to the tune of QR2.98mn against net buyers of QR0.4mn the previous day.
The GCC institutions were also net sellers to the extent of QR2.6mn compared with net buyers of QR1.08mn on Sunday.
Non-Qatari individual investors turned net profit-takers to the tune of QR0.57mn against net buyers of QR4.09mn on June 14.
Total trade volume rose 40% to 4.96mn shares, value by 37% to QR211.55mn and deals by 9% to 2,582.
The insurance sector’s trade volume grew eight-fold to 0.16mn equities and value by about 11-fold to QR15.7mn on more-than-doubled transactions to 69.
The telecom sector’s trade volume jumped about six-fold to 1.37mn stocks and value more than quadrupled to QR31.61mn on more-than-doubled deals to 502.
The real estate sector saw a 22% surge in trade volume to 2.46mn shares, 35% in value to QR99.66mn and 2% in transactions to 678.
The industrials sector’s trade volume expanded 19% to 0.32mn equities and value by 22% to QR17.46mn but on an 8% fall in deals to 459.
However, the market witnessed a 75% plunge in the transport sector’s trade volume to 0.02mn stocks, 68% in value to QR0.58mn and 51% in transactions to 33.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume plummeted 56% to 0.18mn shares, value by 55% to QR8.49mn and deals by 34% to 251.
The banks and financial services sector reported a 13% decline in trade volume to 0.45mn equities but on a 5% jump in value to QR37.76mn and 5% in transactions to 590.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.