Doha: August 14 - Data issued by the Qatar Stock Exchange revealed an increase in the profits of listed Qatari companies during the first half of 2024 by 5.5 percent to reach QR 25.730 billion, compared to nearly QR 24.386 billion riyals in the same period last year. The banking and financial services sector recorded net profits in the first half of the year of QR 14.9 billion, or about 58% of the total profits of listed companies, followed by the industrial sector with total profits of QR 4.645 billion, then the communications sector with QR 2.164 billion. On the other hand, the services and consumer goods sector achieved the largest gains in the first half of 2024, with its net profits growing by 22.7 percent, while the net profits of the real estate sector declining by 12.32 percent. Source: Qatar News Agency