PSX: Selling at bourse, down nearly 500 points

On Monday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a notable decline, with the KSE-100 Index dropping nearly 500 points during the initial minutes of trading. The benchmark index opened at 170,299.24, declining by 465.98 points, or 0.27%. Various key sectors, such as automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertilizers, oil and gas exploration companies, and OMCs, experienced selling pressure. Notably, index-heavy stocks like HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, PSO, and HBL also traded in the red.

Notably, Adviser to the Finance Minister, Khurram Schehzad, revealed on Sunday that discussions had been held regarding potential financing from the US Export-Import Bank (US Exim Bank) for Boeing aircraft for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). However, no government loan or sovereign guarantee had been officially announced for the airline.

In the preceding week, the PSX had remained cautious and range-bound, owing to persistent geopolitical uncertainty and shifting domestic political developments that had curtailed investor risk appetite.

On a global front, share markets predominantly declined on Monday due to oil prices surging once more, fueled by uncertainties surrounding a potential truce between the United States and Iran. This uncertainty kept bonds under pressure as investors awaited a week filled with economic news. Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump declined an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that Tehran was eager to finalize a deal.

Trump indicated that talks would persist during the week, though Iran showed no inclination to modify its stance. The scarcity of refining capacity has consequently elevated diesel prices to unprecedented highs, surpassing crude levels, thereby increasing the likelihood of inflation becoming entrenched in pricing and wage decisions.

Central banks responded by implementing a series of rate hikes, with the Reserve Bank of Australia expected to follow suit during its upcoming meeting on Tuesday.

Currently, markets imply a 66% probability that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates for a second consecutive meeting in October, with approximately 90 basis points of tightening priced in until the end of the year. Japan’s Nikkei index remained flat, while the volatile South Korean stock market experienced a decline of 2.4%. Additionally, MSCI’s all-encompassing index of Asia-Pacific shares, excluding Japan, slipped by 0.6%. This report provides an update on the intraday trading activity.