Qatar shares maintain their downward trend

13/01/2015 08:20 AST

Market heavyweight Industries Qatar continued to weigh on the Qatar’s bourse, which fell another 103 points to settle below the 12,000 mark on Monday.

Higher net selling by foreign institutions and lower net buying by their domestic counterparts led the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) shed 0.85% for the second consecutive session to 11,911.69 points.

Local retail investors’ increased net buying notwithstanding, the bourse was down 3.04% year-to-date.

The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen melting faster than the other indices in the bourse, where real estate and industrials corner more than 65% of the total trading volume.

Market capitalisation fell 0.88% or about QR6bn to QR653.26bn with large and micro cap equities losing 1.05% and 0.55%; while small caps gained 2.63%.

The Total Return Index shed 0.85% to 17,766.17 points, All Share Index by 0.51% to 3,064.33 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 1.14% to 3,989.26 points.

Industrials stocks shrank 2.94%, telecom (0.69%) and consumer goods (0.09%); whereas insurance gained 1.36%, transport (0.89%), banks and financial services (0.28%) and realty (0.25%).

The other influential shakers included Aamal Company, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Mazaya Qatar, Vodafone Qatar, Ooredoo and Islamic Holding Group; even as Nakilat, United Development Company, Qatari Investors Group and Alijarah Holding bucked the trend. Foreign institutions’ net profit booking rose to QR70.86mn against QR69.36mn the previous day.

Domestic institutions’ net buying sunk to QR42.92mn compared to QR51.5mn on Sunday. Non-Qatari individual investors’ net buying strengthened to QR16.28mn against QR12.17mn on January 11.

Qatari retail investors’ net buying weakened to QR11.65mn compared to QR5.63mn the previous day.

Total trade volume rose 12% to 10.65mn shares, value by 11% to QR681.34mn and transactions by 25% to 7,535.

The telecom sector’s trade volume shot up 88% to 0.96mn stocks and value almost tripled to QR35.1mn on more than doubled deals to 858.

The banks and financial services reported 50% surge in trade volume to 1.99mn equities, 48% in value to QR194.11mn and 27% in deals to 1,596.

The consumer goods sector’s trade volume expanded 27% to 0.42mn shares, while value fell 24% to QR19.7mn and transactions by 12% to 352.

The real estate sector saw its trade volume gain 10% to 4.37mn stocks and value by 15% to QR132.35mn but deals were down 6% to 1,534.

However, the insurance sector’s trade volume plummeted 62% to 0.05mn equities, value by 75% to QR2.68mn and transactions by 17% to 48.

The transport sector saw its trade volume plunge 47% to 0.28mn shares, value by 39% to QR9.47mn and deals by 7% to 140.

There was 6% decline in the industrials sector’s trade volume to 2.57mn stocks and 4% in value to QR287.94mn but on 37% rise in transactions to 3,007.

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

Gulf Times