KEY POINTS
- Pakistan Stock Exchange benchmark index closes at 171,073.73 points
- Investor focus remains on Pakistan International Airlines’ privatisation bids
- Market began the week under rollover-week caution and muted triggers
- Regional Asian markets gain as investors track global economic developments
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani bourse’s benchmark KSE-100 closed marginally lower on Tuesday due to investor attention diverted to the privatisation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which continued after market close.
Pakistan Stock Exchange reported the KSE-100 index at 171,073.73 points. Cautious investor sentiment persisted ahead of the high-profile privatisation bidding for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), according to the PSX website.
Trading opened on a positive note, with early gains in major stocks, but profit-taking and investor caution pushed the index lower after midday.
The market staged a modest recovery in the late afternoon but ended the session down by 130.44 points, or 0.08 per cent.
Investor attention is focused on PIA privatisation, with three consortia submitting sealed bids for a 75 per cent stake in the national flag carrier in a second televised auction.
The sale is part of the government’s broader effort to restructure state-owned enterprises and attract private investment, according to Reuters.
Monday’s session had also seen a lacklustre ‘shares changing hands’, concluding with the PSX 100 index’s loss of 200.31 points to 171,204.18, reflecting the pressures of rollover week trading and cautious sentiment among investors. (Dawn)
Regional Asian markets showed positive momentum on Tuesday. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.31 per cent, while Tokyo’s Nikkei added 0.1 per cent.
Investors followed ongoing global developments, including U.S. economic releases delayed by last month’s government shutdown.
Sector activity at the PSX was mixed. Selective buying occurred in major Pakistani stocks during early trading, but broader market participation remained subdued.
Turnover reflected the cautious mood, with balanced advance-decline ratios across listed firms.
Traders noted that the outcome of PIA privatisation, upcoming macroeconomic announcements, and global investor sentiment could influence market direction in the final week of 2025.
