Doha, May 01 (QNA) - Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) closed this week on a high note, with its index rising by 1.83 percent to reach 10,447 points - marking its best weekly close since early March.

Commenting on the performance, Investment manager at Qatar Securities Company (QS) Ramzi Qasmieh, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the QSE index maintained its upward trend for the third consecutive week.

He attributed this week's gains primarily to the banking sector, which rose by approximately 2.86 percent. 

The industrial sector also posted a gain of 0.99 percent, and telecommunications advanced by 1.12 percent, while the real estate sector saw a decline of 1.2 percent.

Qasmieh highlighted that this week's trading activity was influenced by the Q1 2025 earnings results of listed companies, which collectively saw a year-on-year profit growth of 0.92 percent compared to Q1 2024.

He noted that traders responded positively, especially to stocks of companies that posted strong growth, such as Lesha Bank, Gulf International Services, and Beema Insurance.

He added that stability in global markets has contributed to a sense of cautious optimism among investors.

He also mentioned that on the liquidity front, weekly trading volumes fell by around 6 percent, totaling QAR 2.1 billion compared to QAR 2.22 billion the previous week.

From a technical perspective, the investment manager noted that the index is approaching a key resistance level of 10,500 points. A break above that level could pave the way for testing the 10,700-point mark. (QNA)