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PSX weekly review: KSE-100 index posts highest weekly gain in two years

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  • Benchmark KSE-100 index surges 4.9% during the week.
  • Gains come on the back of clarity on the political front.
  • A weekly rally of a similar extent was last witnessed in April 2020.

KARACHI: The outgoing week proved to be an outstanding one for the stock market as it recorded phenomenal gains on the back of clarity on the political front.

The KSE-100 index surged 4.9%, marking the highest week-on-week increase in two years, to settle at 46,601 points. A weekly rally of a similar extent was last witnessed in April 2020.

In the outgoing week, the market roared back after political clarity emerged. Following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s oath-taking ceremony, the new coalition government began work to tackle the economy.

Moreover, the rupee recovered against the dollar at a rapid pace, marking a 3.6% appreciation. Additionally, the country received record-high remittances this month clocking in at $28.3 billion, showing a 28% increase month-on-month, on account of Ramadan and Eid.

Other major developments during the week were: SBP’s reserves slip below $11 billion, banks approved Rs180 billion in housing loans, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) renewed mobile operator licence for $486 million, cars’ sales surged 53.78% in nine months, Rs1 billion Islamic finance facility for renewable energy power plants, weekly inflation witnessed the biggest rise since November.

Meanwhile, foreign buying was witnessed this week, clocking in at $1.29 million against a net sell of $3.78 million recorded last week. Buying was witnessed in technology ($2.21 million), and fertiliser ($1.16 million).

On the domestic front, major selling was reported by a mutual fund ($9.89 million), followed by insurance companies ($7.76 million).

During the week under review, average volumes clocked in at 477 million shares (up by 213% week-on-week), while average value trade settled at $66.3 million (up by 135.6% week-on-week).

Major gainers and losers of the week

Sector-wise positive contributions came from commercial banks (+395 points), fertiliser (+292 points), technology and communication (+268 points), cement (+241 points), and refinery (+129 points). On the flip side, negative contributions came from real estate investment trust (-2.19 points), and vanaspati and allied industries (-1.55 points).

Scrip-wise major gainers were Engro Corporation (+152 points), TRG Pakistan (+136 points), Meezan Bank (+122 points), HBL (+85 points) and Systems Limited (+80 points). Meanwhile, major losers were Colgate-Palmolive (-14 points), Faysal Bank (-10.88 points), Fatima Fertilisers (-4.74 points), Allied Bank (-3.18 points), and Dolmen City REIT (-2.19 points).

Outlook for next week

A report from AHL predicted: “We expect the market to remain positive in the upcoming week. With the commencement of the result season and clarity on the political front, certain sectors and scrips are expected to stay under the limelight.”

“Furthermore, we are expecting the rollover of Chinese loans worth $2.3 billion and IMF negotiations, will help bolster our foreign exchange reserves.,” it said, adding that any dip in oil prices should also have a positive impact on the equity bourse.

“The KSE-100 is currently trading at a PER of 5.0x (2022) compared to the Asia-Pacific regional average of 11.5x while offering a dividend yield of 8.3% versus 2.6% offered by the region,” the brokerage house stated.

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Pakistan Looks To China For Investment In Important Sectors: SIFC Encourages New Chinese Projects

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Due to the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s assistance, Chinese businessmen are showing a revived interest in Pakistan. Pakistan has recently sent high-ranking delegations to China to promote investment in industries such as renewable energy, medical equipment, leather, plastics, textiles, and plastics.

At port Qasim in Karachi, the Chinese solar panel manufacturer “Renesola Pakistan” intends to set up an assembly plant capable of producing up to 4 gigawatts of solar energy. An electric bike, scooter, and tricycle assembly plant is planned to be established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the Xiamen Sino-Pak International consulting and investment firm.

Pakistan’s renewable energy sector is of interest to Hexing Electrical, and the Ruyi Shandong Group intends to develop textile parks that meet international standards. Pakistan will also see the establishment of factories by Rainbow Industries Limited and Shaoxing Chemical Industry.

An exploration memorandum on shale and tight gas potential has been inked by the oil and gas development business and CCDI.

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Pakistan experiences an increase in cement exports.

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Relative to 570,692 tons in the same month last year, the data that was made public shows that the exports increased by 71.52 percent to 978,871 tons.

Still, domestic cement sales were down 18% in September 2024, continuing the downward trend.

The month’s total cement sales were 3.540 million tons, down from 3.751 million tons in September 2023, a 5.63 percent annual decline.

In terms of total sales, domestic sales decreased by 19.78 percent to 8.130 million tons between July and September of 2024.

At the same time, 2.140 million tons of cement were exported, a 22.19 percent increase. Even while exports have increased, domestic sales have decreased for the fourth straight month.

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Pakistan’s deposit protection program now covers one million rupees.

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An increase in the guarantee sum for qualified depositors of member banks was announced by the Deposit Protection Corporation (DPC) on Tuesday. The increase was from Rs500,000 to Rs1 million.

All of the eligible depositors across the country would be afforded complete protection as a result of this improvement, which was approved by the board of directors of the DPC.

The decision was made with the intention of protecting the interests of depositors and fostering financial stability inside the country, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

A whopping 77.7 million accounts held by member banks are now protected by the DPC as a result of this revised guarantee. This contributes to the protection of about 96% of the total account holders in the banking sector, which equates to approximately 80 million personal accounts.

A number of experts considered that the DPC’s guarantee was insufficient in protecting depositors, particularly during times of economic uncertainty. Previously, the DPC’s guarantee was restricted to a maximum of Rs500,000.

It is anticipated that the decision to raise the limit will boost the trust of depositors and encourage a greater number of persons to interact with the banking system. This means that the decision comes at a vital time.

To ensure that access to this safety net is uncomplicated and uncomplicated, it is important to note that the deposit protection facility is accessible to all eligible depositors at no additional cost.

To emphasize the significance of preserving a healthy banking environment, the guarantee will not be activated until the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) declares a bank to be a failed organization.

The State Bank of Pakistan, also known as SBP Bank Bank depositors are protected by deposit protection charges (DPC) Deposit rates

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