Notwithstanding stronger buying interests of foreign institutions and bullish outlook of local retail investors, the 20-stock Qatar Index fell 0.46% to 11,134.81 points amid expansion in trading turnover and volumes.
Domestic institutions were increasingly net sellers and their Gulf counterparts turned bearish in the market, which is however up 6.76% year-to-date.
Islamic stocks were seen gaining slower than the conventional ones in the bourse, where banking, telecom and industrials stocks together constituted more than 67% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation eroded 0.48%, or about QR3bn, to QR595.48bn as mid, large, small and microcap equities fell 0.69%, 0.52%, 0.12% and 0.11% respectively.
The Total Return Index shed 0.46% to 18,015.39 points, the All Share Index by 0.45% to 3,061.19 points and the Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.19% to 4,206.21 points.
Industrials stocks shrank 0.84%, insurance (0.63%), followed by banks and financial services (0.5%), telecom (0.23%), real estate (0.13%), consumer goods (0.08%) and transport (0.02%).
More than 68% of the equities were in the red with major losers being Qatar Electricity and Water, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, QNB, Qatar Islamic Bank, Doha Bank, Ooredoo, Ezdan and Mazaya Qatar; even as Barwa, Nakilat and Vodafone Qatar bucked the trend.
GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR20.21mn against net sellers of QR5.22mn on Wednesday.
GCC institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR1.08mn against net buyers of QR20.21mn. Non-Qatari individual investors were also net sellers to the extent of QR2.68mn compared with net buyers of QR4.02mn on Wednesday.
Domestic institutions’ net profit-booking strengthened to QR25.9mn against QR23.33mn the previous day.
The GCC individual investors’ net buying weakened marginally to QR0.41mn compared to QR0.8mn on Wednesday.
However, non-Qatari institutions’ net buying strengthened to QR22.45mn against QR14.13mn on August 24.
Local retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR6.79mn compared with net sellers of QR15.83mn the previous day.
Total trade volume rose 21% to 4.01mn shares, value by 8% to QR179.73mn and deals by 20% to 3,552.
The telecom sector’s trade volume more than doubled to 0.91mn equities, value soared 30% to QR25.25mn and transactions by 20% to 542.
The transport sector saw an 85% surge in trade volume to 0.24mn stocks, 22% in value to QR9.49mn and 40% in deals to 226.
The consumer goods sector’s trade volume shot up 76% to 0.3mn shares, value by 59% to QR18.02mn and transactions by 83% to 382.
There was a 37% expansion in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 0.78mn equities, 41% in value to QR47.18mn and 39% in deals to 911.
The banks and financial services sector’s trade volume was up 2% to 1mn stocks, value by 12% to QR56.35mn and transactions by 8% to 992.
However, the insurance sector reported a 67% plunge in trade volume to 0.1mn shares, 67% in value to QR8.54mn and 20% in deals to 128.
The real estate sector’s trade volume shrank 7% to 0.68mn equities, value by 18% to QR14.9mn and transactions by 12% to 371.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.