PSX holds steady; investors eye policy rate, flood impact

The stock market remained largely range-bound during the outgoing week as investors balanced encouraging macroeconomic indicators against concerns over monetary policy and flood-related disruptions. Analysts said profit-taking dominated amid muted institutional flows, leaving the KSE-100 index nearly flat. Topline Securities reported that the benchmark index inched up 0.11 per cent week-on-week, supported earlier by momentum from mutual funds but capped later as inflows slowed. Average daily trading volume stood at 1.1bn shares, while value traded averaged Rs52bn. Arif Habib Ltd (AHL) said the KSE-100 closed at 154,440, gaining 163 points or 0.1pc. Sentiment was shaped by remittances, auto sales and debt data, alongside news of Pakistan’s plan to issue its first-ever Panda Bond worth $250m with guarantees from ADB and AIIB.