On Wednesday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) remained turbulent and ended flat as investors awaited the announcement of the government budget before making equities investments. For the second time this week, the KSE-100 closed flat as investors remained on the sidelines. Another factor weighing on market confidence was a deadlock in discussions over resuming the IMF programme. It completed the day at 41,553.16, down 15.25 points or 0.04pc, to a total of 41,553.15. The benchmark PSX index traded within a narrow range, rising to a high of 41,620 and falling to a low of 41,392 during the day. Investors stayed on the sidelines during a tumultuous trading session, lacklustre activity was noted in the main board equities, while heavy volumes were observed in 3rd-tier stocks. Concerns over an unfavourable incoming budget and rising inflation have kept the PSX under pressure throughout the day. However, it continued, and the banking industry was in a red zone due to the expected rise of super tax and the rise of other levies. The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association said that domestic cement sales declined 1.56pc on a year-over-year basis, while exports fell 76.97pc. Domestic cement sales fell 6.52pc on a month-to-month basis, while exports rose 9.55pc. Banks (-62.88 points), fertilizers (18.24 points), and textile composites all contributed to the KSE 100’s decline (15.67 points). There were 151.1m shares traded on the all-share index, down from 157.4m on Tuesday. There were 4.5 billion rupees worth of shares exchanged compared to the previous session’s 4.2 billion rupees. With 11.83m shares, Unity Foods Limited led the pack, followed by D.G.K. Cement and Oilboy Energy(R) with 9.62m and 8.26m, respectively. On Wednesday, shares of 321 firms were traded, with 137 seeing their prices rise, 158 seeing their prices fall, and 26 seeing their prices stay the same.