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PSX hails govt’s clarification on economic emergency with 280-point rise

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  • Bullish sentiment prevailed throughout the day.
  • KSE-100 index closes at 41,819.29 points with an increase of 0.67%.
  • Shares of 334 companies were traded during the session. 

The bulls staged a comeback at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday marking an end to the three-day-long losing streak as the benchmark KSE-100 index registered a decent rally.

The bullish sentiment prevailed throughout the day that kept the KSE-100 index in the positive territory.

The trading activity received a major boost on clarification from the Finance Division regarding economic emergency and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ninth review.

A day earlier, the Finance Division rebutted reports of an “economic emergency” being imposed in Pakistan. 

“Finance Division not only strongly rebuts the assertions made in the said message, but also categorically denies it and that there is no planning to impose economic emergency,” a statement from the division read.

Moreover, it stated that with the efforts of the current government, the IMF programme has come back on track and negotiations leading to the ninth review are now at an “advanced stage”.

Earlier, the trading session started on a positive note and the KSE-100 index continued its upward march with minor oscillations.

The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 41,819.29 points with an increase of 279.35 points or 0.67%.

Arif Habib Limited, in its post-market commentary, noted that the benchmark KSE-100 index finally ended its losing streak and traded in the green all day.

“Following a clarification by the Finance Division regarding the ninth review of the IMF programme, the market opened in the green and maintained its positive trend throughout the day,” it stated.

Investors gained confidence as mainboard volumes gained momentum and participation remained healthy, with third-tier stocks leading in terms of volume.

Sectors contributing to the performance included cement (+54.1 points), commercial banks (+48.5 points), technology and communication (+48.4 points), miscellaneous (+37.3 points), oil marketing companies (+26.4 points).

Shares of 334 companies were traded during the session. At the close of trading, 196 scrips closed in the green, 111 in the red, and 27 remained unchanged.

Overall trading volumes rose to 221.48 million shares compared with Tuesday’s tally of 131.69 million. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs5.86 billion.

Dewan Cement was the volume leader with 29.55 million shares traded, gaining Rs0.50 to close at Rs6.04. It was followed by WorldCall Telecom Limited with 21.47 million shares traded, losing Rs0.01 to close at Rs1.36 and Kohinoor Spinning Mills with 13.6 million shares gaining Rs0.41 to close at Rs3.15.

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Pakistan’s gold prices are still declining; see the most recent

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The price of 10-gram gold reduced by Rs943 to settle at Rs207,733, while the price of gold dropped by Rs1200 to close at Rs242,300 a tola, according to the Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

In the global market, the price of the precious metal fell by $10 to $2,349 per ounce, resulting in losses.

At 04:48 GMT, the spot price of gold had dropped by 0.2% to $2,354.77 per ounce. In the previous session, prices reached a two-week high.

American gold futures dropped 0.6% to $2,361.

Spot silver decreased by 0.4% to $28.03 per ounce, while palladium remained steady at $978.03 and platinum decreased by 0.1% to $992.89.

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Pakistan and the IMF begin talks for a new loan.

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Pakistan is requesting a $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the international lender over the next three to four years to address its financial troubles.

A mission team led by Nathan Porter, the IMF’s Mission Chief in Pakistan, is meeting with a Pakistani delegation led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Islamabad may face more difficult options, such as raising power and gas bills.

Mr. Aurganzeb informed the IMF team that the country’s economy has improved as a result of the IMF loan package, and Islamabad is ready to sign a new loan programme to further develop.

The IMF mission expressed satisfaction with Islamabad’s efforts to revive the country’s struggling economy.

The IMF praised Pakistan’s economic growth in its staff report earlier this week, but warned that the outlook remains challenging, with very high downside risks.

The country nearly avoided collapse last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized since the end of the last IMF program, with inflation falling to roughly 17% in April from a record high of 38% last May.

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Petrol prices are likely to drop significantly beginning May 16.

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According to sources, the government is set to decrease petrol prices by Rs 14 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 10 on May 16 for the next fortnight’s revision.

Last month, the government reduced the price of fuel and high-speed diesel by Rs5.45 and Rs8.42 per fortnight, respectively.

The current fuel price is Rs288.49 per litre, while the HSD price is Rs281.96.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell further on Monday, as signs of sluggish fuel consumption and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials dimmed optimism for interest rate reduction, which may slow growth and reduce fuel demand in the world’s largest economy.

Brent crude prices down 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $82.54 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.07 per barrel.

Oil prices also declined on signals of poor demand, according to ANZ analysts, as gasoline and distillate inventories in the United States increased in the week before the start of the driving season.

Refiners throughout the world are dealing with falling diesel profitability as new refineries increase supply and warm weather in the northern hemisphere and weak economic activity reduce demand.

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