Doha: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Index advanced 40.75 points or 0.4 percent during the trading week, closing at 10,135.84 points. The slight uptick reflects growing investor optimism as listed companies prepare to announce their first-quarter earnings for 2025.

Market capitalisation rose by 0.8 percent to QR597.6 billion, up from QR593.1 billion the previous week. Of the 53 listed companies, 26 registered gains while 27 closed in the red.

Vodafone Qatar emerged as the top gainer, rising 7.6 percent, while Aamal Holding was the worst performer, dropping 5 percent.

Among the blue-chip stocks, Ooredoo, QNB Group (QNB), and Industries Qatar (IQ) were the primary contributors to the index’s rise, adding 31.06, 20.68, and 14.62 points respectively.

Total traded value dropped significantly by 46.5 percent week-on-week, reaching QR1.57 billion compared to QR2.94 billion in the previous week. The total number of transactions also fell by 56.9 percent to 73,419, while traded volume declined 44.6 percent to 693.2 million shares.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) topped the value chart with QR117.9 million in total trades, while Ezdan Holding Group led in volume with 70.5 million shares exchanged.

Foreign institutional investors turned net buyers with QR42.7 million in net purchases, reversing last week’s net selling of QR45.9 million. On the other hand, Qatari institutions turned bearish with net selling of QR15.9 million. Both Qatari and foreign retail investors recorded net selling of QR13.4 million each.

So far in 2025, global foreign institutions remain net sellers of Qatari equities to the tune of $327.8 million, with GCC institutions also net short by $76.6 million.

Commenting on the market movement, financial analyst Youssef Bouhlaika told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the QSE’s resilience above the 10,000-point level demonstrates positive momentum. He attributed the optimism partly to the temporary suspension of US tariffs on select countries, following earlier tensions due to US President Donald Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 percent.

Bouhlaika also pointed to the upcoming Q1 2025 earnings announcements as a key factor bolstering investor confidence and supporting the QSE index’s steady climb.

With companies set to disclose their financial statements for the quarter ending March 31 next week, market watchers are hopeful the positive trend will continue.

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