Kse-100 index continued to witness a range-bound trading session on the first trading on Monday, following previous week’s lackluster performance. On Monday, the index clocked at 41,110 mark after gaining 54 points by the closing of the session. The bull-run at the index has submerged following flash floods in Karachi with investors speculating over a possible economic cost of the calamity. Although, despite depleting volumes and cautious trading, the benchmark KSE-100 Index appreciated by 4.72% in August and compared to July 2020, and added 1,852 points at the index. During the session, the benchmark KSE-100 posted some early gains however, it failed to sustain the momentum and lost to profit-taking, with selling pressure primarily witnessed in banking and fertilizer sectors. The index touched its intra high at 41,311.06 points after gaining 254.84 points. The index volumes stood at 212.36 million shares, while the overall market volumes soared from 238.5 million shares in the previous session to 451.7 million shares. The volume chart was led by BankIslami Pakistan Limited, followed by TRG Pakistan Limited and Power Cement Limited Right Shares. The scrips exchanged 40.93 million, 40.13 million and 32.04 million shares, respectively. Sectors which lifted the index included Cement with 52 points, Oil & Gas Exploration Companies with 48 points, Tobacco with 28 points, Power Generation & Distribution with 23 points and Textile Composite with 10 points. Among the scrips, most points added to the index was by Mari Petroleum Company Limited which contributed 29 points followed by Pakistan Petroleum Limited with 29 points, Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited with 28 points, Lucky Cement Limited with 27 points and Hub Power Company Limited with 20 points. Sectors which weighed down the index were Technology & Communication with 54 points, Commercial Banks with 42 points, Fertilizer with 20 points, Automobile Assembler with 18 points and Insurance with 12 points. Among the scrips, most points taken off the index was by TRG Pakistan Limited which stripped the index of 47 points followed by United Bank Limited with 21 points, Pakistan Oilfields Limited with 19 points, ENGRO with 13 points and Habib Bank Limited with 13 points. Global markets:Global stocks traded mixed as investors tread cautiously over resurgence of Covid-19 and dovish U.S monetary policy announced by U.S Federal reserve. Last week, U.S Fed slashed interest rates to zero and open-ended asset-purchasing program to support the economy, laid out an inflation policy framework that would keep rates lower for longer. In Asia, stocks traded mixed with Japanese stocks leading gains among the region’s major markets as investors monitored political developments in the country. In Japan, the benchmark index Nikkei 225 gained 1.12% to close at 23,139.76 following the losses on Friday as longstanding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a surprise resignation on Friday due to health reasons. Developments in Japanese politics continued to be watched by investors on Monday, as the search for the country’s new prime minister continues. The fresh interest in Japanese stocks were witnessed after Shares of Japanese trading firms Mitubishi Corp., Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp. mushroomed on Monday after the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett announced that his firm has acquired a slightly more than 5% stake in the companies. Meanwhile, in South Korea, Kospi index led the losses as index fell 1.17% to close at 2,326.17, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also edged lower 0.96% as of its final hour of trading. Moreover, Chinese stocks also tracked regional losses, with benchmark index Shanghai composite closing at 3,395.68, after losing 0.24%. In Europe, major bourses were mixed as investors are still keeping an eye on covid-19 developments though, as global cases surpassed 25 million on Sunday.CAC-40 in France declined by 0.27%, however, Germany’s DAX index traded flat during the session. Meanwhile, In the U.K., markets were closed Monday due to a public holiday. In U.S, Wall Street witnessed a mixed trend as the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average wrapped up their best August performances since the 1980s. The S&P 500 traded 0.3% lower, while the Dow declined 200 points, or 0.5%. However, the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite, outperformed with a 0.5% gain. The mix trend followed S&P 500 index’s record performance, putting the index on track for its biggest August gain since 1984. The August rally built on the market’s sharp rebound off the March 23 intraday lows.