Friday, October 30 2026

PSX: selling returns at bourse, KSE-100 down over 200 points
Selling was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index losing over 200 points during the opening minutes of trading on Friday. At 9:50am, the benchmark index was hovering at 166,957.17, down 236.26 points or 0.14%. Selling was observed in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies and OMCs. Index-heavy stocks, including HUBCO, MARI, PPL, MCB, MEBL, NBP and UBL, traded in the red.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges

Binance freezes assets after $6.3 billion heist, crypto industry's biggest
Hackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in what analysts say is the biggest crypto hack ever, an attack that could prompt investors to rethink the risks of ​owning digital assets. The hackers behind the raid were from North Korea, according to US blockchain analysis firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis. The attackers targeted Binance wallets on 10 blockchains and shifted most ‌of the funds in about 20 minutes, TRM Labs said in a statement.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators investment-copr psx stock-exchanges tech-comm

NBP reports Rs48.9bn profit after tax for 9M’26
The Board of Directors of National Bank of Pakistan (“NBP” or “the Bank”) met to approve the Bank’s interim condensed financial statements for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2026. Operating amid a lower interest-rate environment and following an exceptionally strong comparative 9M period, the Bank reported total income of Rs 193.6 billion and profit after tax of Rs 48.9 billion (earnings per share: Rs 22.98) for 9M’26. Pertinent to mention that the comparative prior year period had benefited from a reducing policy rate environment resulting in higher net interest income, and stronger capital-market gains.
Related news categories: business comm-banks economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges
Related symbols: nbp (news stock)

Standard Chartered Bank posts Rs37.1bn profit before tax
Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Limited delivered a resilient financial performance for the nine-month period ended 30 September 2026 with a profit before tax of PKR 37.1 billion compared to PKR 46.1billion last period. The bank posted revenue of PKR 53.6bn, down 15 percent year-on-year, primarily due to reduction in interest rates. Total expenses declined by 1 percent from comparative period, reflecting strong cost discipline despite investment in our people and infrastructure.
Related news categories: business comm-banks economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges
Related symbols: scbpl (news stock)

Lucky Cement announces Karachi plant expansion
Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK) has announced a 3.2 million-tonne-per-annum brownfield expansion at its Karachi plant, with commercial operations targeted to commence by December 2027, taking its total cement production capacity in Pakistan to 18.8 million tonnes per annum. The expansion and additional renewable energy projects are expected to involve capital expenditure of at least Rs50 billion, according to takeaways from the company’s analyst briefing for the first quarter of FY27, conducted on Thursday.
Related news categories: business cement economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges
Related symbols: luck (news stock)