By Santhosh V. Perumal/Business Reporter

Qatar Stock Exchange on Sunday gained 59 points to surpass the 11,600 levels mainly lifted by transport, real estate and banking sectors.
The Gulf individual investors turned bullish and net profit booking of Gulf institutions weakened as the 20-stock Qatar Index rose 0.51% to 11,644.09 points amid shrinkage in overall trade volumes.
Local retail investors continued to be bullish but with lesser vigour in the market, which is however down 5.22% year-to-date.
The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the bourse, where trading was largely skewed towards the transport and realty sectors, which together constituted more than 62% of the volume.
Market capitalisation gained 0.45% or about QR3bn to QR610.78bn with large and mid cap equities gaining 0.56% and 0.49%; even as small and micro caps fell 0.68% and 0.21% respectively.
The Total Return Index rose 0.51% to 18,009.07 points, All Share Index by 0.4% to 3,094.85 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.02% to 4,413.67 points.
Transport stocks appreciated 1.35%, real estate (0.78%) and banks and financial services (0.53%); whereas telecom fell 0.29%, consumer goods (0.12%), insurance (0.11%) and industrials (0.01%).
Major gainers included Milaha, Ezdan, United Development Company, QNB, Doha Bank, Widam Food, Barwa, Mazaya Qatar and Nakilat; even as Industries Qatar, Ooredoo and Gulf International Services bucked the trend.
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) individual investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR9.7mn against net sellers of QR13.86mn on October 22.
The GCC institutions’ net profit booking declined to QR2.83mn compared to QR18.22mn last Thursday.
However, non-Qatari institutions turned net sellers to the extent of QR0.07mn against net buyers of QR5.36mn the previous trading day.
Non-Qatari individual investors were also net profit takers to the tune of QR0.85mn compared with net buyers of QR0.57mn on October 22.
Domestic institutions’ net selling strengthened to QR31.87mn against QR16.36mn last Thursday.
Local retail investors’ net buying weakened to QR25.91mn compared to QR42.47mn the previous trading day.
Total trade volume fell 36% to 4.9mn shares, value by 44% to QR167.19mn (excluding rights to subscribe in the rights issue) and deals by 39% to 2,275.
The insurance sector saw 63% plunge in trade volume to 0.03mn equities, 76% in value to QR1.7mn and 45% in transactions to 41.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume plummeted 53% to 0.66mn stocks, value by 71% to QR30.33mn and deals by 59% to 436.
There was 52% shrinkage in the transport sector’s trade volume to 1.56mn shares, 34% in value to QR53.23mn and 38% in transactions to 502.
The real estate sector’s trade volume tanked 34% to 1.05mn equities, value by 48% to QR23.7mn and deals by 35% to 382.
The market witnessed 23% decline in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 0.47mn stocks, 36% in value to QR29.29mn and 29% in transactions to 505.
However, the telecom sector’s trade volume surged 60% to 0.91mn shares and value by 29% to QR13.98mn, while deals fell 46% to 169.
There was 38% surge in the consumer goods sector’s trade volume to 0.22mn equities, 87% in value to QR14.95mn and 30% in transactions to 240.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.