Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited - | PSX | Resources And Tools | Investors

Guide to (new) Investors

The Stock Exchange is a place where shares of listed companies are bought and sold. Companies list themselves on the stock exchange to raise capital. Shares of companies are traded, after they are listed, through a process of Initial Public Offering (IPO) or Secondary Public Offering (SPO). The share purchase represents ownership of the shareholder in a company to the extent of amount contributed by the investor to the capital of that company.

Corporate Bonds (Term Finance Certificates - TFCs etc.) and Government Debt Securities - GDS (Treasury Bills etc.) are also listed and traded on the Stock Exchange. Bonds are listed by a company that wants to raise capital in return for fixed periodic payments as mark-up and the eventual return of principal to the investor. GDS are listed by the Government to raise capital whereby the securities give fixed periodic returns as profit with eventual return of principal to the investor.

A company floats its shares for the first time through an IPO in the share market. These shares can be purchased by filling and submitting the share subscription form along with the payment of subscription amount through cheque (or through any other instrument of payment recommended by the issuer company) at a branch of the designated bank(s). The shares are subscribed at a pre-designated price. In an SPO, shares are offered by a listed company by way of issuing new shares, called Right Shares, or through off-loading of more shares (held by directors and others) in the market. The share price is set on the stock exchange platform as the shares are bought and sold.

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has more than 500 listed companies distributed amongst more than 35 sectors. There are 11 Indices listed on PSX board. Part of the PSX ecosystem are the CDC (Central Depository Company) through which delivery of shares takes place, and NCCPL (National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited) through which settlement of shares takes place.

Potential Investors are advised to contact a TREC (Trading Right Entitlement Certificate) holder/ licensed brokerage firm for their account opening and trading on the Stock Exchange.

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