Friday, October 17 2025

Volatility at bourse, KSE-100 sheds over 300 points in early trade
Volatility was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index losing over 300 points during the trading opening hours. At 10:25am, the benchmark index was hovering at 164,096.19, a decrease of 348.52 points or 0.21%. Selling was observed in key sectors including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation and refinery. Index-heavy stocks ARL, HUBCO, MARI, POL, PSO, SSGC, SNGPL, MCB, MEBL and UBL, traded in the red. On Thursday, the PSX closed on a negative note as heavy profit-taking in major sectors, even as the bourse witnessed its highest-ever trading volume on record. The benchmark KSE-100 Index fell by 1,241.66 points, or 0.75%, to close at 164,444.72 points
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Privatisation of PIA, airports: Saudi Finance Minister briefed
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has met with his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Al-Jadaan in Washington DC and briefed him on the privatization of the state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and airports as Islamabad seeks “strategic investments,” the finance ministry said on Thursday. The meeting between Aurangzeb and the Saudi finance minister took place on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings, where he has held a number of engagements with finance officials and business leaders from various countries and institutions. The cash-strapped South Asian nation is looking to privatize the debt-ridden PIA to raise funds and reform loss-making, state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
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Related symbols: PIAHCLA (news stock)

Mari Energies announces oil & gas discovery in Sindh
Mari Energies Limited (MARI) announced on Friday the discovery of oil and gas in Sindh’s Mari Ghazij CF-B1 Well. MARI disclosed the development in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday. “Mari Ghazij CF-B1 well was spud-in on September 12, 2025 and successfully drilled down to the total depth of 1,195 meters into SUL formation,” the company said. Mari Energies announces first gas discovery at Soho-1 well in Sindh In its notice, MARI further said that the well targeted the oil-prone zones within Ghazij formation. “During testing, the well produced 305 barrels per day of oil along with 3 MMSCFD gas with wellhead flowing pressure (WHFP) of 225 Psi at 48/64 inch choke size.”
Related news categories: business economic-indicators oilgas-exploration oilgas-marketing psx stock-exchanges
Related symbols: mari (news stock)

Thursday, October 16 2025

Equities extend gains on agreement with IMF
After posting its second-highest single-session gain of over 7,033 points the previous day, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a volatile session on Wednesday. However, the benchmark KSE-100 index managed to rise by 210.36 points, closing at 165,686.38, supported by value-hunting and optimism surrounding the staff-level agreement (SLA) reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The session was marked by significant fluctuations, with the KSE-100 reaching an intraday high of 167,561 before dipping to a low of 165,357. This volatility followed profit-taking after the sharp rally in the prior session. Investor sentiment was initially lifted by news of the agreement between Pakistan and the IMF on the second review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first review of the $1.3bn Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
Related news categories: business economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges

United Bank quarterly profit surges 93pc
United Bank Ltd (UBL) reported a 93 per cent year-on-year increase in its consolidated earnings for the third quarter of 2025, reaching Rs35.4 billion translating into earnings per share (EPS) of Rs14.1. This marks a 24pc increase compared to the previous quarter. For the first nine months of 2025, UBL posted a significant 104pc year-on-year growth in earnings, amounting to Rs100bn (EPS: Rs40). The bank’s operating cost fell by 9pc QoQ to Rs32bn in Q3, but rose by 36pc YoY due to its growth strategy, with investments focused on branch expansion and marketing initiatives aimed at boosting deposit growth. UBL’s total deposits reached Rs4.8tr by September 2025, reflecting a 69pc YoY increase.
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Related symbols: ubl (news stock)