Selling pressure, especially in telecom and consumer goods stocks, extended the bearish spell on the Qatar Exchange to the second day yesterday.
Mid and large cap equities witnessed profit-taking as the 20-stock QE Index (based on price data) fell 0.17% to 8,483.59 points. The market is down 3.37% year-to-date.
A total of 46.66mn shares of Ezdan Real Estate were traded on the special market.
The 20-stock Total Return Index and the All Share Index (comprising wider constituents) also fell 0.17% each to 11,481.36 and 2,047.35 points respectively.
Both the indices factored in dividend income as well.
Major losers included Commercialbank, Mazaya Qatar, Qatar Telecom and Nakilat; even as Mawashi, Qatari Investors Group and Ezdan bucked the trend.
Under the All Share Index category, the telecom index fell 1.11%, followed by consumer goods (0.25%), industrials (0.18%), transport (0.15%), insurance (0.06%), realty (0.04%) and banks and financial services (0.02%).
Market capitalisation was down 0.16% or QR74mn to QR465.87bn with mid and large cap equities losing 0.23% and 0.20%, while micro and small caps gained 0.34% and 0.10% respectively.
Of the 42 stocks, 12 advanced, while 24 declined and three were unchanged. Three others were not traded.
Foreign institutions were increasingly profit-takers as their net selling rose to 0.87% from 0.78% the previous day. Their net selling was QR11.19mn.
A higher 1.87% of them were into buying against 1.47% on Monday and a higher 2.74% of them into selling compared to 2.25%.
However, domestic institutions turned bullish as they were net buyers to the tune of 0.69% against net sellers of 0.17% the previous day. Their net buying was QR8.89mn.
A lower 77.72% of them bought equities compared to 85.82% on Monday and a much lower 77.03% offloaded against 85.99%.
Qatari individual investors continued to be profit-takers but with lesser intensity as their net selling sunk to 0.04% from 0.19% the previous day. Their net selling amounted to QR0.51mn.
A higher 15.32% of them purchased equities compared to 8.16% on Monday and a higher 15.36% sold against 8.35%.
Non-Qatari retail investors continued to be bullish but with lesser vigour as their net buying fell to 0.22% from 1.14% the previous day. Their net buying was QR2.83mn.
A higher 5.09% of them were into buying against 4.55% on Monday and a higher 4.87% was into offloading against 3.41%.
Total trading volume rose 7% to 55.31mn shares, value by 14% to 1.29bn and deals by 44% to 4,854.
The insurance sector’s trading volume more than doubled to 0.14mn shares and value more than doubled to QR6.71mn as transactions almost tripled to 132.
The banks and financial services sector’s trading volume more than doubled to 2.89mn shares and value also more than doubled to QR116.06mn as deals more than doubled to 1,653.
The industrial sector’s trading volume zoomed 57% to 1.82mn shares, value by 37% to QR52.03mn and transactions by 24% to 671.
The consumer goods and services sector’s trading volume surged 47% to 1.95mn shares, value by 63% to Q126.83mn and deals by 39% to 1,448.
The transport sector’s trading volume soared 23% to 0.49mn shares, value by 28% to QR12.51mn and transactions by 9% to 264.
The real estate sector’s trading volume was up 2% to 47.67mn shares, value by 2% to QR952.10mn and deals by 11% to 489.
However, the telecom sector’s trading volume shrank 17% to 0.34mn shares, while value rose 40% to QR20.02mn, but transactions fell 36% to 207.
Actively traded stocks (in terms of volume) were Ezdan (46.66mn shares); Qatari Investors Group (1.67mn); Mawashi (1.36mn); National Leasing (1.03mn) and Islamic Holding Group (838,350).
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills.