Friday, October 10 2025

Stocks recover after early decline, KSE-100 gains over 200 points
After initial selling pressure, positive sentiment returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 200 points during the first half of the trading session on Friday. The market started on a negative note, shedding over 2,000 points to hit an intra-day low of 162,411.25. However, it recouped sharply and by 12pm, the benchmark KSE-100 was hovering at 164,754.42, up by 223.62 points or 0.14%. In a key development, the inflow of overseas workers’ remittances into Pakistan stood at $3.2 billion in September 2025, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed on Thursday. Remittances increased by 11.3% year-on-year (YoY), compared to $2.9 billion recorded in the same month last year. On a monthly basis, remittances were up 1%, compared to $3.1 billion in August. Moreover, two pivotal memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed, marking significant progress in K-Electric’s ownership and future collaboration framework.
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Jul-Sept PRA tax collection rises 28pc to Rs66.41bn YoY
The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) showing an outstanding performance has collected Rs66.41 billion in terms of taxes during July-September for the current financial year 2025-26. According to the PRA, this amount is 28 percent more than that of the corresponding period of the outgoing financial year which stood at Rs51.98 billion. According to break-up provided by the PRA, out of total Rs66.41 billion, Rs1.7 billion were collected only under the head of infrastructure development cess. According to PRA, the Authority performed outstandingly despite the fact that no new tax was levied nor any increase was made in any tax rate in the current financial year. Moreover, the PRA has launched an extensive drive against unregistered businesses and enforcement teams of the Authority have been directed to speed up efforts to bring the service providers in the ambit of registration process. Field teams have been assigned the task to find out the unregistered businesses and issue notices to them for the compliance.
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Sell-off of SOEs: PM says looks forward to ‘best possible deals’
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday issued a firm directive to fast-track the privatisation of underperforming state-owned enterprises (SOEs), urging officials to secure the most advantageous deals while warning against bureaucratic inertia and administrative delays. The prime minister, while chairing a high-level meeting, stressed that the national interest must remain at the heart of the privatisation drive. He called for the immediate engagement of globally recognised experts to oversee the process and demanded a comprehensive strategy to enhance the operational capacity of SOEs. Govt set to streamline governance in SOEs The prime minister said that he would personally oversee the privatisation effort, committing to regular progress reviews in a bid to eliminate red tape and avoid stalling the programme. Officials briefed Sharif on the status of 24 state entities earmarked for privatisation, noting that plans were underway for 15 of them.
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July-Sept remittances surge 8.4pc to USD9.53bn YoY
The inflows of home remittances maintained a healthy growth, surging to USD 9.53 billion in the first quarter (July to September) of this fiscal year 2025-26 (FY26). According the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the inflow of remittances reported a notable increase of 8.4 percent or USD 700 million in the first three months of the current fiscal year as compared with a similar period of the last financial year (FY25), in which USD 8.8 billion home remittances were arrived. Remittances from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remained the highest, rising 7.2 percent to USD 2.31 billion in the first quarter of FY26, compared to USD 2.16 billion in the same period last year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked second, recording a 16 percent increase to USD 2 billion during July-September of the current fiscal year.
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Oil prices fall slightly as risk premium fades after Gaza deal
Oil prices declined slightly on Friday after settling 1.6% lower in the previous session as the market’s risk premium faded after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a plan to end the war in Gaza. Brent crude futures were down 7 cents at $65.15 a barrel by 0338 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 2 cents to $61.49. Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement on Thursday in the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Gaza. Under the deal, which Israel’s government ratified on Friday, fighting will cease, Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza, and Hamas will free all remaining hostages it captured in the attack that precipitated the war, in exchange for hundreds of prisoners held by Israel.
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