By Santhosh V. Perumal/Business Reporter

Qatar Stock Exchange failed to surpass the 11,800 mark as its key index lost 34 points, after being in a bullish phase for the last three consecutive sessions.

Consumer goods, industrials and banking sectors witnessed profit booking as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell 0.29% to 11,754.74 points on shrinkage in overall trade volumes.

Increased net selling by domestic institutions and lower buying interests of their foreign counterparts led to an overall bearish spell in the market, which is down 4.32% year-to-date.

However, local retail investors turned bullish and there was increased buying support from Gulf institutions in the bourse, where trading was largely skewed towards the realty and telecom sectors, which together constituted about 64% of the trading volume.

Market capitalisation was down 0.29% or about QR2bn to QR616.48bn with large, small and micro cap equities losing 0.49%, 0.13% and 0.11% respectively; even as mid caps rose 0.22%.

The Total Return Index shrank 0.29% to 18,271.05 points, All Share Index by 0.31% to 3,124.01 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.38% to 4,453.48 points.

Consumer goods stocks fell 0.67%, industrials (0.55%) and banks and financial services (0.52%); while telecom gained 0.25%, real estate (0.22%) and insurance (0.04%). The index of transport was rather flat.

More than 63% of the traded stocks were in the red with major losers being QNB, Industries Qatar, Aamal Company, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank, Alijarah Holding and Gulf Warehousing; even as Ezdan, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar and Nakilat, United Development Company, Qatari Investors Group and Dlala bucked the trend.

Domestic institutions’ net profit booking increased to QR22.81mn compared to QR7.77mn on Wednesday.

Non-Qatari institutions’ net buying notably weakened to QR2.52% against QR27.03mn on October 7.

However, local retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR17.35mn compared with net sellers of QR7.14mn the previous day.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) institutions’ net buying strengthened to QR16.61mn against QR5.62mn on Wednesday.

The GCC individual investors’ net selling fell to QR6.7mn compared to QR9.58mn on October 7.

Non-Qatari individual investors’ net profit booking also weakened to QR6.92mn against QR8.11mn the previous day.

Total trade volume fell 34% to 7.63mn shares, value by 51% to QR237.64mn and deals by 40% to 3,948.

The insurance sector saw 92% plunge in trade volume to 0.01mn equities, 92% in value to QR0.6mn and 83% in transactions to 18.

The industrials sector’s trade volume plummeted 69% to 0.88mn stocks, value by 75% to QR46.3mn and deals by 37% to 1,365.

The banks and financial services sector reported 69% shrinkage in trade volume to 0.75mn shares, 71% in value to QR38.83mn and 62% in transactions to 707.

The consumer goods sector’s trade volume tanked 55% to 0.38mn equities, value by 28% to QR22.6mn and deals by 42% to 296.

There was 32% decline in the telecom sector’s trade volume to QR1.28mn stocks, 26% in value to QR25.52mn and 42% in transactions to 349.

However, the transport sector’s trade volume surged 85% to 0.76mn shares, value by 46% to QR23.83mn and deals by 9% to 415.

There was 19% expansion in the real estate sector’s trade volume to 3.57mn equities and 4% in value to QR79.97mn but on 17% slippage in transactions to 798.

In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills, while as many as 21,000 government bonds valued at QR210.26mn changed hands across two deals.