PAKISTAN – Market factors to watch – Aug 20 – Yahoo! Singapore News

PAKISTAN – Market factors to watch – Aug 20 – Yahoo! Singapore News

KARACHI, Aug 20 – Following is a list of events in Pakistan as well as news stories and press reports which may influence financial markets.

(Reuters News welcomes your feedback and for any queries please contact Michael Georgy in Islamabad editorial on +92-51 281 0017 or via email at chris.allbritton@thomsonreuters.com or on Reuters messaging chris.allbritton.reuters.com@reuters.net)

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PAKISTAN, ALL TIMES LOCAL FOLLOWED BY GMT: (The inclusion of diary items does not necessarily mean that Reuters will cover the event)

* National Fertiliser Development Centre due to release fertiliser data for July on Friday or soon after.

* State Bank of Pakistan due to release agricultural credit data on Friday or soon after.

MARKET SNAPSHOTS

* The rupee ended almost flat at 85.62/70 to the dollar on Thursday, compared with Wednesday's close of 85.60/66. [PKR/]

* The Karachi Stock Exchange benchmark 100-share index < .KSE> ended 1.47 percent, or 142.61 points, higher at 9,847.61 on turnover of 37.84 million shares. [.KA]

* The net inflow of foreign portfolio investment in the stock market was $1.38 million on Thursday.

* U.S. stocks tumbled to their lowest close in nearly a month on Thursday as the latest batch of data amplified concerns the economy is stuck in neutral.

The Dow Jones industrial average < .DJI> dropped 144.33 points, or 1.39 percent, to 10,271.21. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index < .SPX> fell 18.53 points, or 1.69 percent, to 1,075.63 for its lowest close since July 21. The Nasdaq Composite Index < .IXIC> lost 36.75 points, or 1.66 percent, to 2,178.95. [.N]

* Crude was steady near a six-week trough below $75, after weak U.S. economic data signalled the world's top oil-consuming nation will struggle to work through the most ample petroleum inventories in two decades.

U.S. crude for September , the front-month contract which expires at the end of Friday trading, shed 3 cents to $74.40 a barrel at 0034 GMT, heading for a second consecutive week of losses. [O/R]

* Gold firmed on Friday, to just short of its highest since early July, after U.S. jobs data sparked worries of a deepening slowdown in the United States, while ETF holdings rose for a third consecutive day.

Spot gold added $1.20 an ounce to $1,231.30 an ounce by 0104 GMT, having rallied to as high as $1,237.15 on Thursday after new U.S. jobless claims marked a nine-month high last week, and Mid-Atlantic manufacturing shrank in August for the first time in more than a year. [GOL/]

* For global market news, click on [MKTS/GLOB]

* To see announcements on Pakistan central bank's regular open market operations, please click on .

FOR A SPEED GUIDE ON PAKISTAN, CLICK ON

FOR A DIARY OF EVENTS IN PAKISTAN, SEE [PK/DIARY]

FOR PAKISTAN ECONOMIC INDICATORS, CLICK ON [ECI/PK]

FOR KARACHI INTERBANK RATES, SEE

FOR PAKISTAN OPEN MARKET CURRENCY RATES, CLICK ON [PKR/]

FOR PAKISTAN COTTON RATES, SEE [COT/KAR]

FOR PAKISTAN PORT ACTIVITY, CLICK ON [SHP/PK1][SHP/PK2]

FOR KEY GLOBAL ECONOMIC NEWS, SEE [TOP/MACRO]

FOR AN OUTLOOK OF ASIAN STOCK TRADING, CLICK ON [STXNEWS/AS]

TOP NEWS ON ASIAN COMPANIES [TOP/EQA]

FOR INTERNATIONAL FOREX NEWS, HIT [FXNEWS]

FOR WHAT INVESTORS ARE SAYING ABOUT GLOBAL DEALS [DEALTALK/]

GLOBAL STOCKS – BUY OR SELL? [BUYSELL/]

IN THE NEWS REUTERS PAKISTAN (Click on [PK-RTRS]

> US, Pakistan warn of militant plots over floods [ID:nSGE67I05N]

> US, others pledge more funds to UN Pakistan appeal [ID:nN1997179]

> Pakistan to ask IMF to restructure loan – report [ID:nSGE67J007]

> Pakistan floods renew focus on stalled US trade bill [ID:nN19193020]

> Pakistan flood victim finds safety on ancient mound [ID:nB484650]

> For US, Pakistan floods are about national security [ID:nSGE67I0IR]

> Pakistan to “revisit” budget after floods-minister [ID:nN19252339]

> Breakdown of major Pakistan flood aid donations [ID:nSGE67H0JQ]

> Pakistan textile industry seeks more market access [ID:nSGE67I08O]

> Pakistani stocks up; rupee flat; o/n rates down [ID:nSGE67I0F6] (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan)

Popularity: 12% [?]

Technorati Tags: forex trading