By: Eman Ghali
Doha – Mubasher: The Qatar Stock Exchange’s (QSE) general index lost 8.86% in a year since the beginning of the Arab quartet boycott.
In the fifth of June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt decided to sever their relations with Qatar, which had a negative impact on the latter’s stock exchange and banking sector.
In around 12 months, the QSE’s market capitalisation tumbled 6.6% to QAR 493.7 billion.
The Qatari stock market has taken some measure to offset the harmful effects of the boycott including the creation of new incentives, such as increasing the foreign shareholding ceiling to 49%.
In the first six months of 2018, the general index added 500.65 points, or 5.9%, to 9,024.03 points, while market capitalisation rose 4.6% to QAR 493.7 billion.
The QSE’s trading volume reached 685.1 million shares from January to the end of June, whereas the market’s turnover amounted to QAR 24.7 billion.
Meanwhile, the general index gained 450.04 points, or 5.3%, to 9,024.03 points in the first quarter of 2018, while market capitalisation increased by 4.9% to QAR 493.7 billion.
Trading volume hit 1.37 billion shares in the three-month period ended 28 June, whereas trading value recorded QAR 41.2 billion.
Translated by: Muhammad Khalid
