Stocks staged a bull-run on Wednesday with Kse-100 recording highest volumes for the year 2020, and 4th highest in over a decade. The kse-100 index fell short of nearly 70 points to touch 42,000 index level during the trading session and closed at 41,834.85, after gaining 457.59 points. Positive momentum was carried forward from the previous session on the back of a reduction in August inflation figures as well as the recent recovery in Pakistani Rupee against the US Dollar due to higher remittances. However, the report by marketcurrentswealthnet.com, the New York-based global financial markets research firm, skyrocketed market sentiments after it said Pakistan’s stock market (has become) the best performer in Asia and the fourth best-performing stock market in the world. In a brief under the title “Denmark and Pakistan: the surprising stock markets that outperformed in 2020”, New York based firm said PSX benchmark KSE-100 index has given a return on investment of 38.5% in dollar terms as foreign capital has been flowing into the market after the yield on the nation’s bond fell below double digits. On Wednesday, the index remained in the green zone throughout the day, registering its intraday high at 41,932.85 after gaining 555.59 points. The index volumes appreciated from 371.74 million shares in the previous session to 526.72 million shares, while the overall market volumes also mushroomed from 759.36 million shares in the previous session to 837 million shares. The volume chart was led by K-Electric Limited followed by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited and Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Limited. The scrips exchanged 54 million, 48.75 million and 46.91 million shares, respectively. Sectors which lifted the index included Commercial Banks with 90 points, Fertilizer with 81 points, Oil & Gas Marketing Companies with 49 points, Investment Banks with 39 points and Cement with 35 points. Among the scrips, most points added to the index was by ENGRO which contributed 38 points followed by United Bank Limited with 34 points, National Bank of Pakistan with 31 points, Dawood Hercules Corporation Limited with 28 points and Engro Fertilizers Limited with 26 points. Sectors which added pressure to the index were let down by Miscellaneous with 4 points, Engineering with 2 points and Cable & Electrical Goods with 1 points. Among the scrips, most points taken off the index was by Hub Power Company Limited which stripped the index of 13 points followed by hifa International Hospitals Limited with 4 points, Meezan Bank Limited with 3 points, Frieslandcampins Engro Foods Limited with 3 points and Highnoon Laboratories Limited with 2 points. Global markets: Most of the global stocks advanced on Wednesday as investors picked cues from strong rally at Wall Street, however investors closely followed series of economic data in the region which indicated health of regional economies and economic activity. In Asia, stocks traded mixed, as investors sentiments hope for economic recover following yesterday’s private survey by Caixin/Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for August, which showed Chinese manufacturing activity expanding at its fastest pace in nearly 10 years. However, investors also responded to official data released by national governments which showed Indian and Australian economies marked record contraction. South Korea’s Kospi index led the gains among the bourses which advanced on the day, which added 0.63% to the index value to close at 2,364.37, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 also gained 0.47% to close at 23,247.15. However, after posting gains in the previous session, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.26%, as of its final hour of trading, while China’s benchmark index Shanghai composite lost 0.17% to about 3,404.8 index level. In Europe, stocks advanced tracing historic rally at Wall Street shrugging off disappointing regional Unemployment data revealed, which showed unemployment rate has risen again in the euro zone as the impact of the covid-19 pandemic continues to be felt. Official figures placed the jobless rate in the region at 7.9% for the month of July. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index jumped around 2% in early morning deals, with all sectors and major bourses firmly in positive territory. Germany’s DAX led the gains among the regional markets and closed over 2% higher, followed by CAC-40 in France, which closed 1.88% higher. Meanwhile, UK’s FTSE-100 also advanced during the session and gained 1.40%. In U.S, Wall Street entered September with a strong start as investors booked profit out of high-flying names like Apple and Tesla and snapped up shares in more beaten-down parts of the market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 213 points, while the the S&P 500 gained 0.6%. The tech heavy bourse Nasdaq Composite however fell flat.