Doha, May 30 (QNA) - In its editorial on Sunday, Al-Raya newspaper said that Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) achieved a record high in the last sessions of last week, and recorded billion trades, supported by strong purchases carried out by foreign portfolios, bringing the trading value to QR 1.27 billion.

The paper emphasized that QSE had gained the confidence of more regional and international companies, and thus succeeded in attracting more of them, noting Morgan Stanley Report on emerging markets on the performance of the stock exchange came as an affirmation of investors' confidence in it, given that the inclusion of more Qatari companies in global indicators is an evidence on the investment attractiveness of Qatari companies.

The paper referred to economists' expectations that Qatar Stock Exchange would attract billions of new foreign investments during the coming period, after the inclusion of new Qatari companies into emerging market indices.

The inclusion of new companies in emerging market indices affirms the confidence of global investment institutions in the listed Qatari companies, and contributes to efforts aimed at diversifying the shareholder base and improving stock liquidity, especially in light of the measures and initiatives taken by QSE to increase the investment attractiveness of the Qatari stock market, the paper said.

Qatar Stock Exchange has set up development plans, by introducing new products to the market, increasing trading volumes and enhancing liquidity, the paper said, adding that it has also implemented many initiatives aimed at increasing trading volumes.

The paper indicated that there is a great optimism among economists that there will be a significant improvement in the performance of local stock markets during the next stage, in light of the high turnout of foreign portfolios for the Qatari market.

In conclusion, Al-Raya said that Qatar Stock Exchange has continued over the past years its tireless efforts aimed at achieving its strategic goals and enhancing its investment role locally and internationally, and was able to make many achievements in its endeavor to be a platform for diversifying the national economy and achieving sustainable development. (QNA)