Qatar banks gain from trading move -analysts

* username: rupertbu

Banks in Qatar will be able to diversify their revenue base and bolster trading income as the government relaxes curbs on buying listed securities and allows banks back into brokerage operations, analysts said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Qatar Central Bank said banks will soon be allowed to buy shares of listed companies on the bourse. Qatar's index .QSI rose 3.8 percent Wednesday on the news as banks and other bluechip stocks rallied.

Analysts said banks will be allowed to invest a maximum of 150 million Qatari riyals ($41.23 million) in listed securities on the Qatar bourse. Banks had been banned from trading on Qatar's markets since the government bought their share portfolios last year in an emergency move to bolster capital.