Shares at PSX trim 600 points on budget announcement delay

Bears continued their stampede on Monday at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as shares declined by more than 600 points in intraday trade. The benchmark KSE-100 index declined by 886.10, or 0.74 per cent, to stand at 118,216.57 from the last close of 119,102.67 at 1:13pm. At 3:04pm, the index decreased by 642.92 points, or 0.54pc, from the last close. Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of Topline Securities, attributed the decline to “delay in budget announcement”, in addition to “lack of clarity” on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “conditions related to budget pushing investors to trim their exposure”. Yousuf M. Farooq, director research at Chase Securities, said, “The market is consolidating ahead of the budget, with pressure on the oil sector following media reports of disagreements with the IMF over the circular debt resolution plan and the onset of rollover week.”