Market watch: Stocks fall as global crude oil rises

Pakistan Stock Exchange extended losses on Tuesday, as jittery investors took cue from the global equities’ sell-off amid rising geopolitical tensions that lifted international crude oil prices. The benchmark KSE-100 index, in the absence of any positive triggers, stayed in the red zone throughout the session. Index heavyweight sectors, mainly technology and cement, remained under pressure as nervous investors opted to book profits across the board. Adding to investor woes, a fresh fall of the rupee against the US dollar haunted the trading environment at the bourse. Earlier, the trading session kicked off with a steep decline and investors continued to book profits amid a lack of positive news. From that point onwards, the index experienced fluctuations but remained in the negative territory. In the second half, the KSE-100 touched an intra-day low of 44,699 points. However, a buying spree in the final hour helped it recover some of the lost ground. At close, the benchmark KSE-100 index recorded a decline of 350.67 points, or 0.77%, to settle at 45,012.18 points.