(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Qatar Stock Exchange on Monday slipped back into the negative turf, mainly dragged by banks and realty stocks.
Local retail investors' higher net selling and foreign institutions' reduced buying led the 20-stock Qatar Index (based on price data) knock off 0.69% to 12,605.46 points as trade volumes were also on the slide.
Large caps witnessed the maximum selling interests in the bourse, which is, however, up 2.6% year-to-date.
The index that tracks Shariah-principled stocks was seen melting slower than the other indices in the market, where consumer goods, real estate and industrials stocks together cornered about 59% of the total trading volume.
Market capitalisation fell 0.53% or about QR4bn to QR683.09bn mainly on 1.05% fall in large cap equities; while micro and small caps gained 0.8% and 0.23% respectively.
The Total Return Index shrank 0.69% to 18,920.38 points, All Share Index by 0.47% to 3,262.39 points and Al Rayan Islamic Index by 0.1% to 4,422.97 points.
Banks and financial services stocks plunged 1.05%, real estate (0.83%), telecom (0.48%) and transport (0.42%); while insurance gained 1.55%, consumer goods (0.55%) and industrials (0.09%).
Major shakers included QNB, Industries Qatar, Qatar Islamic Bank, Masraf Al Rayan, Gulf International Services, Barwa, United Development Company, Mazaya Qatar, Ezdan and Vodafone Qatar; even as Qatari Investors Group and Aamal Company bucked the trend.
Qatari retail investors' net selling surged to QR46.4mn against QR17.33mn the previous day.
Foreign institutions' net buying sunk to QR4.94mn compared to QR34.47mn on February 15.
However, domestic institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR13.78mn against net sellers of QR22.02mn on Sunday.
Non-Qatari individual investors' net buying strengthened to QR27.73mn compared to QR4.82mn the previous day.
Total trade volume shrank 41% to 9.7mn shares, value by 30% to QR437.34mn and transactions by 28% to 4,988.
The telecom sector's trade volume plummeted 68% to 1.34mn stocks, value by 69% to QR26.34mn and deals by 42% to 633.
There was 63% plunge in the real estate's trade volume to 1.9mn equities, 57% in value to QR60.28mn and 48% in transactions to 882.
The transport sector's trade volume tanked 52% to 0.5mn shares, value by 63% to QR14.94mn and deals by 47% to 120.
The banks and financial services sector reported 36% shrinkage in trade volume to 1.53mn stocks, 25% in value to QR94.43mn and 27% in transactions to 1,027.
The industrials sector's trade volume melted 26% to 1.58mn equities, value by 23% to QR113.25mn and deals by 32% to 1,134.
However, the insurance sector's trade volume more than quadrupled to 0.62mn shares and value also more than quadrupled to QR41mn on 8% jump in transactions to 154.
The consumer goods sector witnessed 71% surge in trade volume to 2.22mn stocks, value by 13% to QR87.1mn and deals by 53% to 1,038.
In the debt market, there was no trading of treasury bills and government bonds.
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