Business

Political uncertainty rattles PSX, KSE-100 sheds over 100 points

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

At close, KSE-100 index sheds 0.23% to settle at 44,337.56 points.
Arif Habib Limited notes mainboard activity remained dull.
Shares of 354 were traded during the session.

KARACHI: Uncertainty amid noise from the domestic political front kept the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in the red zone, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index closing the session with a loss of over 100 points.

A record-breaking downward streak of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar coupled with the ongoing political crisis in the wake of a no-confidence motion kept the investors on the sidelines.

At the close, the KSE-100 Index shed 101.14 points, or 0.23%, to settle at 44,337.56 points.

Benchmark KSE-100 index intra-day trading curve. — PSX data portal

A report from Arif Habib Limited noted that the benchmark KSE-100 Index stayed in the red territory during the day due to political unrest and further rupee devaluation against the US dollar.

“Mainboard activity remained dull,” it said, adding that on the flip-side, activity continued to remain side-ways as the market witnessed hefty volumes in the third-tier stocks.

Shares of 354 were traded during the session. At the close of trading, 158 scrips closed in the green, 169 in the red, and 27 remained unchanged.

Overall trading volumes rose to 344.13 million shares compared with Tuesday’s tally of 268.91 million. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs7.8 billion.

K-Electric was the volume leader with 38.41 million shares traded, value remained unchanged to close at Rs3.11. It was followed by Ghani Global Holdings with 31.11 million shares traded, gaining Rs0.34 to close at Rs16.24, and WorldCall Telecom with 19.94 million shares traded, gaining Rs0.03 to close at Rs1.73.

Business

Donald Lu visits Finance Minister Aurangzeb at the World Bank headquarters.

Published

10 hours ago

Farwa

Wednesday saw Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb meet US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst.

The finance minister briefed US officials on Pakistan’s reform plan at the World Bank. Meeting both delegations decided to improve bilateral ties.

Meeting topics included alternative energy, agriculture, climate, and tech industry. Boosting the Pakistan-US economic partnership was another finance ministry priority.

With US officials, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb addressed IT, agriculture, and other business potential.

Pakistan would collaborate with the US International Development Finance Corporation and Exim Bank, according to Muhammad Aurangzeb.

His name is Donald Lu.
Over 30 years of US government service for Lu as a foreign service officer.

What Pakistan calls the “cipher” dispute involves the American official. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder claimed that a supposed official letter between Washington and Islamabad proved his ousting as PM was a US conspiracy.

Washington has strongly refuted Khan’s allegations.

The State Department’s top South and Central Asia diplomat is Donald Lu, assistant secretary of state.

Business

Huge investment potential exists in the telecom and IT sectors. Shaza Fatima

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

According to Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication, there are numerous investment prospects in Pakistan’s IT and telecom sectors.

She noted that the current administration is dedicated to fostering foreign investment in the nation, in line with the Prime Minister’s goal.

According to a news release, CEOs Wateen Adil Rashid and Muhammad Shahbaz Khan of Taavun (Pvt) Limited, who paid her a visit on Tuesday, spoke with Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja.

She declared that the private sector would receive complete support because it is essential to growing our exports.

Regarding youngsters, she stated that they are our greatest asset and that efforts are being made to further their growth.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates was thanked by Shaza Fatima for his particular interest in promoting additional investment in Pakistan’s telecom industry.

Business

WB pledges complete support for changes aimed at stabilizing Pakistan’s economy.

Published

1 day ago

Farwa

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb, met with President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, according to a press release from the ministry of finance here. During the meeting, the minister discussed Pakistan’s progress under the nine-month Standby Arrangement (SBA) program as well as ongoing reforms in priority areas of taxation, energy, and privatization.

According to the statement, the minister also extended an invitation to the president to visit Pakistan, and both parties acknowledged the necessity of a rolling 10-year country framework plan.

The minister also talked on safeguarding Pakistan’s eligibility for concessional funding and future project pipeline during a meeting with Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The chief executive officer of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Scott Nathan, also met with the minister of finance.

They discussed during the conference how DFC may increase its investments in Pakistan after resolving unresolved conflicts in a cooperative manner.

According to the minister, the government is supporting creative financing strategies to maximize PPP potential and private sector participation.

According to the statement, he gave his word that the government will do everything in its power to assist investment projects by both foreign and local businesses in Pakistan.