Badla rates decline

Published November 7, 2004

KARACHI, Nov 6: The weighted average carryover rates on the Karachi Stock Exchange last week fell to single digit after having ruled at around 14 per cent during the last couple of weeks owing to sharp decline in equity values ahead of the US presidential election.

At the weekend session, it fell to 9.3 per cent as compared to 11.6 per cent a week earlier, although the share market showed a modest improvement.

The other supporting factor was highly liquid inter-bank money market, ensuring easy supply of the required funds by the punters and other investors, analysts at a leading research house said.

"While the news from the corporate sector are drying up as most of the leading companies have already announced their final and interim payouts, investors are now looking for the Bush factor and its impact on stock trading," they said.

Badla rates on the Lahore Stock Exchange also showed an identical decline, falling to 9.6 per cent from the previous 11.1 per cent, they said.

Owing to a fall in badla volume to 440m shares from the previous 455m shares over the week, investment in the carryover market also fell to Rs25 billion from Rs25.5 billion a week earlier.

Meanwhile, a progressive phasing out of the badla continues as the KSE has taken off PICIC Commercial Bank from the carryover market and Telecard will follow after Eid holidays, market sources said.