Selling pressure, particularly in mid and large cap equities, weighed on the Qatar Exchange yesterday.

Lower buying interests by domestic institutions and continued net selling by their foreign counterparts led the QE Index (based on price data) to lose 0.24% to 8,263.82 points. The market is down 5.87% year-to-date.

All Share Index (comprising wider constituents) and Total Return Index also shrank 0.18% and 0.24% to 1,989.77 and 11,183.94 points. Both the indices factored in dividend income as well.

Major losers included Commercialbank, Doha Bank, Mawashi, Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, United Development Company (UDC), Barwa and Nakilat; even as National Leasing (NLC), Mazaya Qatar and Gulf Warehousing bucked the trend.

Under the All Share Index category, the realty index fell 0.53%, industrials (0.46%), consumer goods (0.31%) and banks and financial services (0.12%); while the indices of insurance and transport rose 0.47% and 0.25% respectively. The telecom index was flat.

Market capitalisation, however, gained 0.12% or QR55mn to QR454.01bn with small and micro cap equities notably gaining 0.38% and 0.36%; even as mid and large caps melted 0.32% and 0.21%, respectively.

Of the 42 stocks, 15 each advanced and declined, while six were unchanged. Another six were not traded.

Foreign institutions were increasingly profit takers as their net selling rose to 14.70% from 14.05% the previous day. Their net selling was QR19.36mn.

A lower 2.21% of them were into buying against 5.24% on Sunday and a lower 16.91% of them into selling compared to 19.29%.

Domestic institutions continued to be bullish but with lesser intensity as their net buying sunk to 6.49% from 8.29% the previous day. Their net buying was QR8.55mn.

A higher 18.64% of them bought equities compared to 16.42% on Sunday and a higher 12.15% offloaded against 8.13%.

Qatari individual investors’ bullish grip strengthened as their net buying soared to 7.86% from 4.63% the previous day. Their net buying amounted to QR10.35mn.

A lower 57.68% of them purchased equities compared to 59.58% on Sunday and a lower 49.82% sold against 54.95%.

Non-Qatari retail investors’ bullish grip slackened as their net buying fell to 0.35% from 1.12% the previous day. Their net buying was to the tune of QR0.46mn.

A higher 21.48% of them were into buying against 18.75% on Sunday and a higher 21.13% were into offloading against 17.63%.

Total trading volume fell 5% to 4.87mn equities, value by 32% to QR131.69mn and deals by 16% to 2,552.

The consumer goods and services sector’s trading volume plummeted 62% to 0.58mn shares, value by 66% to QR28.83mn and transactions by 44% to 669.
The transport sector’s trading volume plunged 51% to 0.17mn shares, value by 46% to QR3.97mn and deals by 43% to 105.

The banks and financial services sector’s trading volume declined 27% to 1.07mn shares, value by 28% to QR44.89mn and transactions by 6% to 728.
The telecom sector’s trading volume tanked 17% to 0.25mn shares, value by 37% to QR3.06mn and deals by 36% to 102.

The industrials sector’s trading volume shrank 16% to 0.26mn shares, whereas value gained 4% to QR13.26mn and transactions by 4% to 333.

However, the insurance sector’s trading volume quadrupled to 0.04mn shares, value jumped more than six-fold to QR1.73mn and deals more than doubled to 24.

The real estate sector’s trading volume more than doubled to 2.51mn shares, value soared 74 to QR35.96mn and transactions by 52% to 591.

Actively traded stocks (in terms of volume) were Mazaya Qatar (1.81mn shares); UDC (581,778); Mawashi (398,060); Masraf Al Rayan (342,656) and NLC (305,336).
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills.