(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar Exchange index declined 9.79 points or 0.08 percent when the bourse closed trading at 12,040.06 points yesterday. The market capitalisation decreased slightly to QR646.21bn from QR646.93bn on Thursday.
The traded value dropped to QR205.68m with a volume of 6,910,126 shares from 3,502 transactions compared to QR330.73m with a volume of 8,724,655 shares from 4,737 transactions on Thursday. Indices of four sectors dropped and three advanced. Of the 43 companies listed, shares of 38 saw trading. Of these, 16 advanced, 20 declined and two remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, most major Gulf stock markets, led by Dubai, rose after the Brent oil price hit a 4-1/2-month high, while the bourse of energy importer Egypt closed in the red.
Brent crude climbed to $65.80 a barrel on Friday because of continued fighting in Yemen and, although US crude fell on concerns about another upcoming stock build, both benchmarks posted weekly gains.
The main Saudi equities index gained 1.2 percent to a 5-1/2-month closing high of 9,725 points as petrochemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries, which would benefit from stronger oil, was the main support, jumping 3.5 percent.
Saudi International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) rose 4 percent. Petrochemicals and metals firm National Industrialisation Co (Tasnee) added 2.8 percent after announcing it had picked contractors to build a titanium sponge plant for its majority-owned Cristal subsidiary.
Retailer Jarir Marketing, which said yesterday that it had launched a new showroom in the city of Jazan, climbed 1.9 percent.
Dubai's index jumped 2.1 percent to 4,172 points, its highest close in nearly five months. The benchmark has risen 29 percent from a trough hit exactly one month ago.
Trading focused on Bahraini investment firm Gulf Finance House, which surged its daily 15 percent limit, extending its recovery from record lows hit last month. Property developer Damac surged 7.1 percent after announcing that it had a development site on Al Reem Island in Abu Dhabi and the project there, which was awaiting approvals, would have a sales value of about $272m. Abu Dhabi's market added 0.8 percent thanks to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which jumped 2.2 percent.
Egypt's index fell 1.1 percent with most stocks in the red. The Cairo government said on Saturday it had extended by three months a state of emergency imposed on parts of northern Sinai in October after Islamist militants stepped up attacks in the peninsula bordering Israel, Gaza and the Suez Canal.
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