Wednesday, April 22 2026

Stocks gain, dollar wobbles as Trump extends Iran ceasefire
US stock futures rose and the dollar wavered on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he would indefinitely extend the Iran ceasefire ​keeping sentiment buoyed although with the Strait of Hormuz still ‌closed oil held onto its recent gains. Trump’s announcement appeared to be unilateral, and it was not immediately clear whether Iran, or US ally Israel, would agree to ​extend the ceasefire, which began two weeks ago. Markets though took ​the news in stride with risk momentum intact. S&P futures ⁠rose 0.5% while Nasdaq futures gained 0.6% in early Asian hours. MSCI’s ​broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.14% after hitting a ​seven-week high in the previous session. Japan’s Nikkei was down 0.2% as traders consolidated their recent gains. After a sharp selloff in March due to war in the Middle ​East, markets across the globe have swiftly rebounded this month and ​are back at pre-war levels as the prospect of a peace deal and the ‌ceasefire ⁠have helped risk sentiment.
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Azerbaijan says it is ready to supply LNG to Pakistan
Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR is ready to supply liquefied natural gas to Pakistan as soon as it receives a request from Islamabad, the company told Reuters on Tuesday, as Pakistan seeks spot cargoes to ease a growing energy shortfall. SOCAR said a framework agreement signed in 2025 between SOCAR Trading and Pakistan LNG allows the Pakistani buyer to purchase LNG cargoes directly under an accelerated procedure. Strait of Hormuz closure: Pakistan faces LNG crunch as three cargoes stuck in Persian Gulf “SOCAR is ready to provide LNG to Pakistan as soon as PLL submits a corresponding request,” the company said in response to Reuters questions. SOCAR did not say whether such a request had already been made, when a first delivery could take place, or whose LNG would be supplied under the agreement.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators oilgas-marketing

IPO at PSX: Wahdat Poultry’s stock price surges 50% to Rs18 per share
Wahdat Poultry Farm Limited’s share price surged by the maximum allowed increase of 50%, hitting upper limit of Rs18 per share on the first of two-day Dutch bidding (book building) process at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday, according to lead manager of the issue of the shares Topline Securities. The bidding had opened at the minimum (floor) offered price of Rs12 per share. The book building process would culminate on Wednesday (April 22). At the determined strike price of Rs18 per share, the poultry firm would raise a total of Rs955.84 million through selling 53.10 million shares against a minimum target of Rs637.23 million – if the allocated shares were sold at the floor price of Rs12 per share. Out of the allotted 53.10 million shares, the firm has announced to sell 70% shares to institutional and high-net worth individual investors through the book building process on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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United Insurance reaffirms its IFS rating
The United Insurance Company of Pakistan Limited (the Company) has reaffirmed its Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of AA+ by the Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA). This rating reflects the Company’s well-established presence within Pakistan’s non-life insurance sector, underpinned by resilient business fundamentals and a consistent operating track record. United Insurance, a flagship entity of the United International Group (UIG), benefits from a diversified group footprint spanning insurance, microfinance, IT, dairy, and vehicle tracking. The Company operates a balanced portfolio comprising approximately 81% conventional insurance and 19% Window Takaful, with ongoing efforts to expand its Takaful segment.
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Related symbols: unic (news stock)

January-March 2026: PTCL Group achieves Rs3.1bn net profit
The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) Group has achieved a net profit of Rs3.1 billion during January-March 2026, and the company announced to formally launch the 5G services from next month. CEO, PTCL and Ufone, Hatem Bamatraf, while announcing the Q1 2026 financial results, said that the revenues of the PTCL group increased by 58 percent during Jan-March 2026 compared to the same period last year. The PTCL Group staged a comeback into profits with Rs. 3.1 billion bottom-line in Q1 2026 Bamatraf acknowledged that the company had been struggling in the past years due to several reasons. Since January 2026, financial results of Telenor Pakistan have been consolidated in PTCL Group, which supported the sustained growth in fixed broadband, enterprise, wholesale, and mobile services.
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Related symbols: ptc (news stock)