(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar Stock Exchange on Monday inched near the 12,700 points, gaining 43 points for the seventh consecutive session, mainly owing to insurance and real estate stocks.
Foreign institutions' robust buying interests rather lifted the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) 0.34% to 12,667.33 points with trade volumes also on the rise.
Islamic stocks were, however, seen experiencing selling pressure in the bourse, which is up 3.11% year-to-date.
Micro cap stocks were seen heavy in demand in the market, where realty, telecom and banking stocks cornered about 83% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation expanded 0.42 or about QR3bn to QR684.18bn with micro cap equities gaining 1.4% and small and large (0.29% each); while mid caps fell 0.35%.
The Total Return Index rose 0.34% to 19,013.25 points and All Share Index by 0.32% to 3,274.22 points; while Al Rayan Islamic Index shrank 0.25% to 4,460.06 points.
Insurance stocks gained 1.24%, realty (0.73%), transport (0.43%), banks and financial services (0.39%) and consumer goods (0.24%); while telecom and industrials fell 0.13% and 0.12% respectively.
Major movers included QNB, Ezdan, Nakilat, Qatar Islamic Bank, International Islamic, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding and Ooredoo.
However, Masraf Al Rayan, Industries Qatar, Qatari Investors Group, Salam International Investment, Aamal Company, Mazaya Qatar, Barwa, United Development Company and Vodafone Qatar bucked the trend.
Foreign institutions' net buying soared to QR77.65mn against QR3.07mn the previous day.
Domestic institutions' net selling sunk to QR41.39mn compared to QR64.71mn on Sunday.
Qatari retail investors turned net profit takers to the tune of QR11.82mn against net buyers of QR12.69mn on February 8.
Non-Qatari individual investors also turned net sellers to the extent of QR24.57mn compared with net buyers of QR48.05mn the previous day.
Total trade volume rose 5% to 42.36mn shares, value by 16% to QR1.31bn and transactions by 9% to 12,350.
The insurance sector's trade volume plummeted 65% to 0.33mn stocks, value by 86% to QR23.23mn and deals by 75% to 266.
The banks and financial services sector reported 31% surge in trade volume to 7.93mn equities, 56% in value to QR363.75mn and 14% in transactions to 2,970.
The telecom sector's trade volume expanded 16% to 11.82mn shares, value by 26% to QR241.04mn and deals by 41% to 2,207.
There was 15% rise in the real estate's trade volume to 15.26mn stocks, 5% in value to QR365.63mn and 6% in transactions to 3,393.
However, the industrials sector's trade volume plummeted 48% to 3.18mn equities, value by 17% to QR191.96mn and deals by 12% to 2,068.
The transport sector saw its trade volume plunge 14% to 1.26mn shares, value by 21% to QR36.44mn and transactions by 30% to 234.
The consumer goods sector's trade volume tanked 11% to 2.6mn stocks but value expanded 32% to QR91.84mn and deals by 9% to 1,212.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
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