{Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and does not present itself as the truth. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.}
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s boom cycle is set to continue as long as the incumbent government stays in power, said a visibly shaken Ali Saif, a sales executive at Karakoram Fund in the sales pitch he made to you in your initial meeting.
“It’s a business-friendly government, and if there is one thing it has its handle on, it’s the economy,” said the NUST Business School graduate, his eyes bulging from pressure. “We haven’t seen such an economic turnaround ever.”
“Hey, the economy is the brand of this party and you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your investment in the bourses, I can tell you that,” he said, taking a pause in the middle to catch his breath.
“Yes, there are boom-and-bust cycles that are beyond the control of even the most able of governments,” he said, in response to a question. “But you can be rest assured that the trick lies in the management of any possible busts and that, my friend, the League will be able to do.”
“We have the Karakoram Income Fund which is low risk. Higher profits than benchmark but still low,” he said. “Then we have our aggressive K2 Alpha Investments, which is high risk but high yield.”
“High risk doesn’t mean a gamble, sir,” he said, reproducing word-for-word the manual given after last month’s company sales meeting. “Because the prices of solid stocks will rise, as long as the economy is steered by an able government of grownup managers.”
Post-script: By the time this report went to press, Saif, who has secured investments worth a total of Rs 6.5 million in that single day, was nevertheless seen smoking a cigarette in the company parking lot with a distant stare on his face.
