Business
Pakistan’s stock market needs depth, not drama | The Express Tribune
With most gains driven by financials and energy giants, PSX lacks broad participation needed for durable bull run
KARACHI:
Pakistan’s stock market has been a study in contrasts this year: pockets of bullish enthusiasm punctuated by sharp swings that leave investors – and policymakers – uneasy. The benchmark KSE-100 index, which began 2025 on a recovery path after a turbulent 2024, has repeatedly tested new highs and then surrendered large chunks of gains within days, illustrating how sensitive the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has become to domestic policy cues, regional geopolitics, and global risk sentiment.
On October 24, 2025, the index traded around the mid-160,000s intraday, showing ranges that investors described as “wide” and “whippy” rather than steady appreciation. Volatility has not been purely technical; it has often been triggered by identifiable events.
In April 2025, trading was halted for 45 minutes after the KSE-100 plunged more than 5% in a single session as global risk aversion spiked and regional uncertainty rose – an episode that underscored how quickly sentiment can reverse even when fundamentals appear to be stabilising.
The market’s dependence on foreign portfolio flows, and its limited depth compared with larger emerging markets, means that short, concentrated flows can move prices dramatically.
Domestic macro policy has been another major driver of market moves. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)’s easing cycle through the first half of 2025, including rate cuts totalling several hundred basis points compared with 2024 peaks, supported a recovery in interest-sensitive sectors and encouraged risk appetite among local institutional investors.
But monetary easing also raised questions about inflation and currency stability, which, in turn, prompted profit-taking when headlines suggested rising external pressures or potential reversals in policy. That tug-of-war between easing for growth and guarding against macro risks has been priced into PSX volatility.
The market’s advances have been concentrated. Financials, selected energy names, and large exporters accounted for a disproportionate share of gains during rallies, while small-cap and mid-cap segments frequently lagged or underperformed during corrections. This concentration increases systemic volatility because heavy exposure to a few big names magnifies the effect of any negative news tied to those companies or sectors.
Even on days when the headline index gains, breadth often remains narrow – another red flag for investors seeking durable rallies. PSX market summaries and turnover statistics show recurrent patterns of heavy volume on a limited number of symbols.
Foreign investor behaviour has been decisive at turning points. Inflows associated with short-term hedge funds or opportunistic foreign portfolio investors have magnified rallies, but sudden stops or reversals – prompted by global events such as changes in US interest rate expectations or geopolitical flare-ups – have intensified declines.
Local institutional participation has grown but still struggles to fully offset the volatility imparted by cross-border capital. The exchange’s 2025 annual report and market data highlight both increasing market capitalisation and the still-fragile composition of flows.
Liquidity dynamics add another layer to the story. While market capitalisation has expanded in the past year, turnover ratios and average daily traded value show episodes of thin liquidity, especially outside the top 20 stocks.
Thin trading amplifies price moves: modest sell orders can cascade if buyers are scarce. Recent intraday ranges – sometimes exceeding several thousand index points – reflect that liquidity mismatch. For risk managers and retail investors, that means stop-losses and margin calls can be triggered more easily now than in a deep, liquid market.
Geopolitical shocks have repeatedly convulsed the PSX. In months when regional tensions flared, the index suffered steep sell-offs and occasionally triggered cooling mechanisms or temporary halts; conversely, diplomatic breakthroughs or easing of tensions sparked quick recoveries and short squeezes.
The market’s sensitivity to such events is understandable – exporters, commodity prices, and investor confidence all react to geopolitical shifts – and it has made calendar risk a permanent feature of the PSX investment playbook.
Macro data and external account developments feed into market psychology as well. Pakistan’s trade deficits, remittance trends, and foreign exchange reserves are monitored closely by investors, and any sign of deteriorating external buffers tends to coincide with domestic equity sell-offs.
While policy actions – tariff adjustments, fiscal consolidation measures, or SBP interventions – may eventually stabilise macro variables, the market often reacts to the perceived probability and timing of those measures long before their economic impact is visible. Official monthly KSE indicators compiled by the SBP and PSX show how closely market moves track macro announcements.
Investor composition has evolved. Retail participation has risen alongside digital access to trading, while institutional investors – including pension funds and mutual funds – have steadily increased their presence. This democratisation brings both benefits – a broader investor base and deeper domestic pools of capital – and risks, as less-experienced retail investors can exacerbate momentum trading during both rallies and panics.
Education, stricter disclosure standards, and improved investor protection are therefore essential complements to any structural reform aimed at calming volatility.
Regulatory responses so far have been pragmatic but reactive. The PSX and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) have used circuit breakers, trading halts, and disclosure requirements to limit disorderly moves, but long-term solutions require deeper structural changes.
These include broadening the investor base through institutional development, improving corporate governance, enhancing market infrastructure to reduce settlement and operational risk, and encouraging product innovation – such as derivatives and options – that allow for hedging of market and currency risk.
PSX’s 2025 initiatives around new index products and market data aim in that direction, but their stabilising impact will accrue only over time.
Volatility on the PSX is likely to persist – at least in the near term – because the market sits at the intersection of domestic policy shifts, lingering external vulnerabilities, and an increasingly connected global capital market where sentiment moves fast. That does not mean the PSX cannot offer attractive returns. Rather, it implies that returns will be accompanied by higher realised volatility, and that success will depend on both macro stability and deepening of market structures.
Policymakers, regulators, and market participants all have a role to play: improving transparency, nurturing local institutional capacity, and upgrading infrastructure will be the difference between a market that remains chronically volatile and one that evolves into a resilient and investor-friendly marketplace.
THE WRITER IS A MEMBER OF PEC AND HOLDS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENGINEERING
Business
Four ports under construction in Andhra Pradesh, Centre tells Lok Sabha – The Times of India
The Centre is pushing port-led infrastructure expansion in Andhra Pradesh, with four ports currently under construction, even as it steps up nationwide port modernisation and efficiency measures.As per information shared on Friday in Parliament, the ports under construction in Andhra Pradesh are Mulapeta Port (formerly Bhavanapadu Port) in Srikakulam district, Machilipatnam Port in Krishna district, Ramayapatnam Port in SPSR Nellore district, and Kakinada SEZ Port in Kakinada district.The government said it is undertaking measures such as mechanisation of berths and terminals, digitalisation and logistics integration, new berth construction, capital dredging for larger vessels, and connectivity upgrades across road, rail and waterways.It has also rolled out initiatives including elimination of manual forms, direct port delivery and entry, container scanners, e-delivery of documents and payments, RFID-based gate automation and Maritime Single Window platform SagarSetu 2.0 to cut vessel turnaround time.Two new ports — Vadhavan Port in Maharashtra and Galathea Bay Port in Andaman and Nicobar Islands — have been notified as major ports. At present, 12 major ports operate under the central government, while 68 other-than-major ports are under state governments.Under the Sagarmala scheme, financial assistance is provided across five pillars including port modernisation, connectivity, port-led industrialisation, coastal community development and inland water transport.The government has also launched HaritSagar green port guidelines, the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP), and the Cruise Bharat Mission to promote sustainability and cruise tourism.The information was given by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.At present, 12 major ports operate under the administrative control of the central government, while 68 operational other-than-major ports are under state governments.The government said it has launched multiple national programmes for port development, expansion and upgradation. Under the Sagarmala scheme, financial assistance is provided under five pillars — port modernisation, port connectivity, port-led industrialisation, coastal community development, and coastal shipping and inland water transport.Green and sustainability-linked initiatives have also been introduced. The government has launched HaritSagar green port guidelines to promote environment-friendly port ecosystems and initiated the Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP) to shift harbour tugs towards greener fuel alternatives.Further, the Cruise Bharat Mission has been launched to prioritise cruise tourism development across the country.
Business
Anthropic At $380 Billion Surpasses India’s Top IT Firms Combined As AI Fears Rock Stocks
Last Updated:
Anthropic’s AI tools have triggered a sharp decline in Indian IT stocks like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, eroding Rs 3,11,873 crore in market value.

Anthropic’s valuation surpassed combined value of total IT firms in India
The entire Information Technology (IT) industry in India is battering with the existential threat, which comes on the heels of rising generative AI, posing doubts over the viability of their business model.
Stocks of the IT industries, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, etc., hit brutally over the past week. This was triggered with the launch of new AI tools by Anthropic’s Claude for Cowork, which is like an office teammate helping the user to do tasks such as file sorting, reading legal drafts, etc.
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Anthropic’s Valuation vs Nifty IT Index
Anthropic’s phenomenal valuation rise has surpassed the combined value of India’s top IT firms. Standing at a valuation of $380 billion, the US-based AI company has eclipsed India’s Nifty IT index, whose market cap was at $296.4 billion by the time of writing this report.
Investors are accelerating their exit from technology stocks as concerns intensify that advanced artificial intelligence tools could disrupt core segments of the global software and IT services industry.
This week alone, TCS, Infosys and HCL Technologies dragged 9-11 per cent.
The sharp correction has wiped out substantial investor wealth. Based on intraday lows, the combined market capitalisation of the top five domestic IT companies has eroded by nearly Rs 3,11,873 crore this week.
TCS emerged as the biggest laggard, losing Rs 1,28,800 crore in market value, with its market capitalisation slipping to Rs 9,35,253 crore. The fall also pushed it to the fifth-most valued listed company from the fourth position.
Infosys has seen its market capitalisation shrink by Rs 91,431 crore following a 15 per cent decline this week. HCL Technologies has lost Rs 53,647 crore in market value over the past five trading sessions. Wipro and Tech Mahindra have also recorded declines, with their market capitalisations falling by Rs 22,762 crore and Rs 15,233 crore, respectively, during the same period.
| Company Name | Mcap ($Billion) |
| Tata Consultancy Services | 107.4 |
| Infosys | 61.2 |
| HCL Technologies | 43.6 |
| Wipro | 24.8 |
| Tech Mahindra | 16.6 |
| LTIMindtree | 16.7 |
| Persistent Systems | 9.5 |
| Oracle Financial Services Soft | 6.4 |
| Coforge | 5 |
| Mphasis | 5.2 |
| Total | 296.4 |
Source: Bloomberg
Anthropic’s Recent Funding Round
Anthropic has recently raised $30 billion in Series G funding led by GIC and Coatue, valuing Anthropic at $380 billion post-money, as announced by the company in the press release.
The investment will fuel the frontier research, product development, and infrastructure expansions that have made Anthropic the market leader in enterprise AI and coding.
February 14, 2026, 09:15 IST
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Business
IndiGo plans to hire over 1,000 pilots after December’s crew crunch – The Times of India
IndiGo, the country’s largest airline is set to go on a hiring spree, bringing over 1,000 pilots on board. This comes after the aviation giant faced massive operational disruption last December, when the company was forced to cancel more than 5,000 flights within seven days.The fresh intake will span trainee first officers, senior first officers and commanders. A recruitment notice shows the carrier is also ready to accept applicants without time on the Airbus A320, the workhorse aircraft across its network, ET reported.Under the updated framework, the number of landings permitted between 12 am and 6 am has been limited, while the mandatory weekly rest period for pilots has gone up.A review carried out by the irectorate General of Civil Aviation concluded that the airline had neither hired in line with the new rules nor accelerated its training capacity. This, the probe noted, resulted in pilots being stretched through repeated reassignments, lengthier duty spans and greater use of deadheading, in which crew are moved as passengers to operate flights elsewhere.
Stepping up expansion
A senior official, as cited by ET, maintained that IndiGo is now lining up a steady supply of cockpit crew to keep pace with rapid aircraft additions. The airline’s in-house system is currently upgrading about 20–25 first officers to captain each month. Now, alongside hiring, the carrier has begun adjusting its network planning to create more breathing space in daily operations. From almost no buffer in December, the margin has been raised to 3% this month. Standby crew availability has also been lifted to a minimum of 15%.Fleet expansion is continuing at a brisk rate, with roughly four aircraft joining the airline every month on average.Training remains a long lead activity. Trainee first officers require around six months before they are cleared to operate, while promotion to captaincy demands at least 1,500 hours of flying, though airlines may prescribe stricter benchmarks.While the regulator’s baseline requirement is three sets of pilots per aircraft, including one captain and one first officer, IndiGo’s intense utilisation levels push its need to well over twice that figure.Figures placed during the inquiry into the December episode showed the airline needed 2,422 captains but had 2,357.
DGCA findings
After the disruption, the watchdog stepped in with temporary relaxations, suspending night-duty restriction rules until February 10.In its assessment, the DGCA said there was an overriding focus on maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft, and network resources, which significantly reduced roster buffer margins.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that the airline structured its crew schedules to extract the longest possible duty hours, leaning heavily on deadheading, tail swaps and stretched work patterns while leaving very little room for recovery. It noted that such planning weakened roster integrity and hurt operational resilience.
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