Local retail investors’ strong profit booking on Thursday led the Qatar Stock Exchange to fall six points but overall it has lost more than 15% against the previous year.
The real estate and insurance counters witnessed some brisk selling as the 20-stock Qatar Index fell a marginal 0.06% to 10,429.36 points.
Gulf individual investors and foreign institutions were also seen bearish and there was increased net profit booking by non-Qatari retail investors in the market, which is down 15.11% year-to-date.
Small cap equities saw larger selling pressure in the bourse, where overall volumes expanded, mainly on transport and realty stocks.
However, domestic institutions turned net buyers in the bourse, where the banking, real estate and industrials sectors dominated the trading ring as their stocks accounted for more than 70% of the volumes.
Market capitalisation was down 0.02%, or QR10mn, to QR553.18bn with small and mid cap equities falling 0.39% and 0.03%; while micro and large caps gained 2.29% and 0.19% respectively.
The Total Return Index fell 0.06% to 16,210.94 points and the All Share Index by 0.01% to 2,776.78 points, while the Al Rayan Islamic Index gained 0.27% to 3,855.82 points.
Realty and insurance stocks shrank 1.75% and 1.22% respectively; whereas industrials gained 1.15%, followed by consumer goods (0.69%), telecom (0.48%), transport (0.09%) and banks and financial services (0.07%).
More than 69% of the traded stocks were in the red with major losers being QNB, Ezdan, Commercial Bank, Mannai Corp and Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance; even as Industries Qatar, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, Doha Bank, Aamal Company, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Nakilat and Gulf International Services bucked the trend.
Local retail investors turned net sellers to the extent of QR20.1mn compared with net buyers of QR7.86mn the previous day.
GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) individual investors were also net sellers to the tune of QR11.54mn against net buyers of QR0.18mn on Wednesday.
Non-Qatari institutions turned net profit takers to the extent of QR2.43mn compared with net buyers of QR7.18mn on December 30.
Non-Qatari individual investors’ net selling increased to QR13.36mn compared to QR2.98mn the previous day.
GCC institutions’ net profit booking strengthened to QR11.54mn against QR9.43mn on Wednesday.
However, domestic institutions turned net buyers to the extent of QR58.95mn compared with net sellers of QR2.81mn on December 30.
Total trade volume rose 37% to 5.35mn shares and value by 40% to QR213.34mn; while deals were down 4% to 2,705.
The real estate sector’s trade volume almost tripled to 1.35mn equities and value more than doubled to QR29.43mn on a 36% jump in transactions to 446.
The transport sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.36mn stocks, value soared 77% to QR13.2mn and deals by 28% to 113.
There was a 63% surge in the insurance sector’s trade volume to 0.13mn shares, 61% in value to QR7.1mn and 65% in transactions to 129.
The banks and financial services sector reported a 41% expansion in trade volume to 1.3mn equities and 49% in value to QR79.63mn but on a 10% fall in deals to 679.
The industrials sector’s trade volume shot up 26% to 1.13mn stocks and value by 23% to QR52.02mn, whereas deals were down 8% to 680.
The telecom sector’s trade volume was up 5% to 0.68mn shares and value by 9% to QR17.31mn, while transactions shrank 24% to 397.
However, the consumer goods sector saw a 45% plunge in trade volume to 0.41mn equities, 16% in value to QR14.66mn and 18% in deals to 261.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.