By Santhosh V. Perumal/Business Reporter

Qatar Stock Exchange closed the week with a mere four points decline in its key index as selling pressure in the insurance, banking and consumer goods sectors was to a great contained by buying interests in the telecom, transport and real estate counters.

Domestic institutions’ substantially lower buying support and increased net selling from Gulf institutions were instrumental in driving the 20-stock Qatar Index down by a marginal 0.04% to 10,014.82 points.

Although Gulf individual investors turned bearish; their local counterparts turned bullish in the market, which witnessed a double-digit dip in overall volumes.

Foreign institutions continued to be net profit takers but with a lesser intensity in the bourse, which is down 18.48% year-to-date.

The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen melting relatively faster in the market, where the banking, realty, industrials and telecom sectors dominated the trading ring as their stocks accounted for about 84% of the volumes.

Market capitalisation was up mere 0.06% or QR32mn to QR528.78bn mainly on 0.29% rise in micro cap equities; while large, mid and small caps fell 0.39%, 0.11% and 0.02% respectively.

The Total Return Index was down 0.04% to 15,566.6 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.05% to 3,694.44 points, while All Share Index was up 0.03% to 2,670.67 points.

Insurance stocks shrank 1.73%, banks and financial services (0.87%) and consumer goods (0.44%); whereas telecom gained 1.96%, transport (1.8%), real estate (1.79%) and industrials (0.06%).

Major losers included Industries Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, QIIB and Qatar Insurance; even as Vodafone Qatar, Ooredoo, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Aamal Company, Nakilat, Ezdan, United Development Company and Alijarah Holding bucked the trend.

Domestic institutions’ net buying declined substantially to QR22.37mn compared to QR122.08mn on Wednesday.

The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions’ net selling rose to QR2.38mn against QR1.33mn on December 9.

The GCC individual investors turned net profit takers to the tune of QR0.79mn compared with net buyers of QR2.54mn the previous day.

However, local retail investors turned net buyers to the extent of QR20.22mn against net sellers of QR18.3mn on Wednesday.

Non-Qatari institutions’ net profit booking plunged to QR37.51mn compared to QR98.23mn on December 9.

Non-Qatari individual investors’ net selling weakened to QR1.87mn against QR6.73mn the previous day.

Total trade volume fell 21% to 7.04mn shares, value by 34% to QR256.22mn and deals by 18% to 4,123.

The insurance sector’s trade volume plummeted 67% to 0.06mn equities, value by 64% to QR4.23mn and transactions by 48% to 61.

The banks and financial services sector reported 39% plunge in trade volume to 2.01mn stocks, 46% in value to QR106.88mn and 40% in deals to 1,197.

The real estate sector’s trade volume tanked 24% to 1.41mn shares, value by 38% to QR27.49mn and transactions by 9% to 739.

There was 12% decline in the transport sector’s trade volume to 0.78mn equities, 28% in value to QR17.95mn and 1% in deals to 341.

However, the consumer goods sector’s trade volume soared 25% to 0.3mn stocks, value by 60% to QR13.62mn and transactions by 12% to 252.

The market witnessed 4% jump in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 1.29mn shares even as there was 16% fall in value to QR66.81mn. Deals expanded 15% to 1,032.

The telecom sector’s trade volume was up 1% to 1.19mn shares but value shrank 21% to QR19.24mn and transactions by 18% to 501.

In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.