Stocks gain 442 points on attractive valuations
KARACHI: After a massive rout of 1,335 points a day ago, the KSE-100 index recovered 442.27 points (1.13 per cent) on Tuesday and closed slightly short of the intraday high at 39,602.87.
In early trading, nervous investors extended the previous day’s decline and the index sank another 271 points. But developments such as prime minister’s assertion that the government had asked the State Bank to share information before deciding on major rupee devaluation and finance minister reiterating there was no economic crisis and the financing gap for the current fiscal was already met, helped to calm the market.
Besides, the consumer price index for Nov’18 coming at 6.5pc below street expectations of 7.27pc, increase in cement price by Rs10 per bag to cover the rupee devaluation, strong bouts of buying in banking sector after higher than expected policy rate rise; and overall attractive valuation of market after the price erosions enticed investors to go for value hunting. The index emerged from the red and climbed all the way to intraday high by 497 points.