Stock trading is not now the sole domain of male members where women brokers could not tread. Exceptional among them are those few, but more enterprising and courageous, who have dared to venture into this business for clinching their share from the tight grip of their male counterparts.

Many may still remember the courageous reaction of a valiant Karachi Stock Exchange lady member who defaulted on her outstanding payment to the other party because of the price manipulation of a particular shares, a couple of years' back.

"I am a defaulter, there is no excuse on my side", Zubeda Ismail, the valiant lady confessed before the KSE Board but, "I will clear the dues within the deadline", she confidently gave an undertaking to the Board.

She met her payment obligations caused by the default after selling everything she inherited from her father, including the offices, the KSE card and some other assets, but valiantly cleared the good name and reputation of her father.

"Unlike some male defaulters, she never complained and set a noble example for smooth functioning of the clearing house", said a leading member, who remembers the episode in late 90s.

Since then, no women broker or member defaulted but some male did. However, the strict adherence to prudential regulations and some other regulatory steps taken by both the KSE and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) have, to a great extent, eliminated the possibility of fresh default.

Some female brokers inherited the leading brokerage houses operating on the Karachi Stock Exchange since its inception in the late 40s, while some other well-educated and foreign qualified entered this filed, by choice. Both are happy with their expanding clientele, as well as their professional skills. Their resolve to handle the most tricky and complex trading issues, having enormous financial risks have earned them a good market reputation.

Some working in the leading stock market and brokerage research houses have a deeper insight in the future market trends and warn their clients, both big and small, and the general investors "where to invest and where not to".

Their financial analysis on the performance of listed companies and their future profit outlook in most of the cases are always in line with their financial comments.

Genuine and small investors mostly rely on their comments and make investment in the shares referred to, by them irrespective of the ruling prices and in most cases a return of 10 to 15 per cent is there on the investment of the hereto "deprived ones".

"It is pretty interesting to join the team of highly trained professionals in the share business", said a young lady who had recently done her MBA in marketing.

"Two and two does make four for students, but in stock trading parlance it has quite a different meaning, of course, depending on the general market behaviour", said another while commenting on the ethics of share business.

Yet, no one among the lady employees working in research and brokerage houses complain of low-wages or harassment, and in most cases both the owners and the employees are happy with their respective professional activities in the stock exchange or a brokerage house.

Luckily most of the new comers after doing their MBAs in marketing and other relevant fields entered the share business in boom-like conditions prevailing on the country's share markets.

Both, the KSE 100-share index and the market capital has established new record earning for the local bourse and the total of "best forming market in the world".

The unprecedented boom still persists on the bourses aided by some positive developments both on the economic and corporate fronts, notably higher return on investment.

"Most of the lady stock analysts are still to taste the negative fallout of a bearish market, although many among them are not inclined to entertain the bearish idea at least for the near-term", said a leading stock analyst.

Their future perceptions and comments on a bearish market are still to find space on the paper but it is generally speculated that they may fail to guide the prospective investors in a falling market, he added.