Stocks fell flat on Tuesday owing to dwindling investors’ sentiments at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), owing to surge in political noise and rising Covid-19 cases in the country. The benchmark kse-100 clocked at 42,101.78 index level, after it lost merely 13.53 points by the closing bell. On Tuesday, the market continued to witness a range bound session as investors treaded cautiously. The market closely followed recent developments on the political front, as opposition led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has vowed to hold Lahore rally on December 13. Investors’ confidence also dampened as several FIR’s were registered against the opposition leaders including PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, which threatens to escalate tensions in the days to follow. Market also witnessed losing investor interest during the day, as Surging Covid-19 cases in the country threatens to expand government’s lockdown measures, which may halt business activity in the country. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC)the national positivity rate has been recorded at 9.71 per cent as Covid-19 cases across the country continue to soar. During the session, the kse-100 index remained range bound after opening on a positive note. The index touched its intraday low at 41,948.35 after losing 166.96 points and intraday high at 42,233.96 after gaining 118.65 points. During the session foreign investors remained net sellers of worth $0.83 million worth of equities. Meanwhile, amongst the local investors, individuals led the selling chart, as they laid off worth $1.77 million worth of equities, followed by Broker proprietary trading with $0.71 million worth of equities and Banks with $0.68 million worth of equities. The volume at Kse-100 index slightly increased from 191.15 million from the previous session to 194.7 million shares, while the over-all market volumes also surgedfrom 380 million shares in the previous session to 409.74 million shares. The volume chart was led by Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited followed by Fauji Foods Limited and TRG Pakistan Limited. The scrips exchanged 31.70 million, 23.13 million and 22.55 million shares, respectively. Sectors, which weighed down the index, were Oil & Gas Exploration Companies with 37 points, Technology & Communication with 27 points, Oil & Gas Marketing Companies with 14 points, Investment Banks with 11 points and Food & Personal Care Products with 9 points. Among the scrips, the most points taken off the index was by Pakistan Petroleum Limited which stripped the index of 19 points followed by Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited with 15 points, Systems Limited with 14 points, Pakistan Stet Oil with 14 points and Searle Company Limited with 13 points. However, sectors which resisted the selling pressure were Cement with 48 points, Commercial Banks with 35 points, Engineering with 16 points, Fertilizer with 6 points and Paper & Board with 4 points. Among the scrips, the most points added to the index was by Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited which contributed 19 points followed by United Bank Limited with 14 points, Engro Corporation Limited with 13 points, International Steels Limited with 11 points and Muslim Commercial Bank with 10 points. Global Markets: Stocks wane amid Covid-19, Brexit deal uncertainty Global stock markets continue to retreatfor the second straight day on Tuesday, as resurgence of Covid-19 increases concerns of a possible halt in economic activity across the globe, which is already reeling off of from the previous global lockdown measures. Meanwhile, with the time running out to agree on a Brexit deal, investors fear a hard divorce between UK and EU. Asian stock markets traded lower, as investors struggled for a clear direction, owing to surging covid-19 cases, U.S. stimulus negotiations as well as Brexit talks between the U.K. and the European Union. Among the major markets, South Korea’s Kospi index led the losses and declined 1.62% to 2,700.93 as the number of daily reported cases of Covid-19 remains high. The country reported 594 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, including 566 domestically transmitted infections. Meanwhile, following the trend, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also fell 0.72% in late-afternoon trade. Chinese and Japanese stocks also accumulated losses, as Chinese benchmark index Shanghai composite fell 0.19% to 3,410.18, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.3% to 26,467.08 European stocks also booked losses during the day as market focus in the region centered on a last-ditch effort between the U.K. and EU to reach a post-Brexit trade deal. During the day, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index traded 0.2% lower in early afternoon deals, with most sectors in negative territory. Among the region’s major markets, CAC-40 in France led the losses, while UK’s FTSE-100 and Germany’s DAX also flowed the trend. In the U.S, Wall Street also treaded cautiously as market concerns mount over rising coronavirus cases and uncertainty over additional fiscal aid. During the early trading, the 30-stock Dow jones industrial average traded 20 point lower, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.2%. The tech heavy Nasdaq Composite also pulled back by 0.3%.