How to Practise Trading With a Virtual Portfolio
A virtual portfolio lets you do everything an investor does, except lose real money. This guide gives you a simple four-week plan to use it well: what to do each week, what to look at, and what to write down. It takes a few minutes a day.
How the practice portfolio works
- Rs. 10 lakh of practice money (not real money), and 400+ PSX-listed companies to choose from.
- Real PSX end-of-day closing prices. Orders are filled at the closing price when each day’s data is processed, so you do not need to watch the market during the day.
- You buy with the cash you have and sell shares you hold. There is no borrowing and no short selling.
- Cash dividends, bonus shares and stock splits are applied the way the real market does it. Rights issues are not.
- No brokerage or tax is charged on your practice trades, so real results will be lower.
Before you start (day 1)
- Create a free account with an email address or a Google account.
- Open a notebook or a note on your phone. For each trade you will write the date, the company, why you made the trade, and what you expect. This habit is worth more than any stock tip.
- Pick a goal: for example, “understand how a portfolio moves” or “beat the KSE-100 over a quarter”.
Week 1: place your first orders
- Choose 3 to 5 companies from different sectors (for example a bank, a cement company and a fertilizer company). Use the company list to see prices, history and financial statements.
- Check each one with the free tools. The Stock Risk Statistics tool shows how volatile it has been and how far it has fallen at its worst.
- Place your buy orders, and note your reason for each. Do not spend all the money: keep some cash.
- Come back after the market closes to see the orders filled at the closing price.
Week 2: read your portfolio
- Find these on your portfolio page: holdings, practice cash, profit and loss, and your rank.
- Look at the weights. Which company is the largest part of the portfolio? What happens to your total if it falls 10%? Read portfolio management.
- Do not trade just to trade. Write down what changed in each company before you decide to act.
Week 3: dividends, news and your first sell
- Watch for corporate actions. A cash dividend is credited on the ex-date, and the share price falls by about the same amount, so the day is not a gain. Bonus shares and splits change your share count.
- Make one sell decision on purpose. Write why: a target reached, the reason for buying no longer holds, or you want to rebalance. Compare it with the common trading mistakes.
- Read one company’s annual report or financial statements. See how to read a PSX annual report.
Week 4: review and compare
- Compare your return with the KSE-100 and with the leaderboard.
- Read your notebook. Which decisions were good reasoning, and which were luck or a mood?
- Pick one thing to change next month, and one thing to keep.
- Join a competition for a clean start and a deadline. See how the competitions work.
What to write in your trade journal
| Date | Company | Buy or sell | Why | What I expect | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Questions about practising with a virtual portfolio
How can I track a virtual portfolio of Pakistani stocks?
On Pak Stock Exchange your portfolio page shows your holdings, practice cash, profit and loss and rank. It updates when each day's PSX closing prices are processed. Keep a trade journal beside it to record why you made each decision.
How do I practise buying and selling shares without real money?
Create a free account, choose a company, and place a buy order with your Rs. 10 lakh of practice money. Orders are filled at the closing price when each day's data is processed, so come back after the market closes to see them. You can sell any shares you hold.
How many stocks should I hold?
There is no single right number. Spreading your practice money across a few companies in different sectors reduces the effect of one company going wrong, while holding too many makes it hard to follow them. Try different approaches and see what happens.
What happens to my portfolio when a company pays a dividend, bonus shares or splits?
Cash dividends are credited to your practice cash on the ex-date with no tax withheld. Bonus shares and splits change your number of shares the way the real market does. Rights issues are not applied.
Does my practice money expire?
No. Your practice balance never expires and never needs topping up. Competitions start everyone with a fresh Rs. 10 lakh each round.
Start your 4-week plan: Rs. 10 lakh in practice money on real PSX prices. Free, no real money.
Start Virtual TradingLast checked October 2026. Pak Stock Exchange is an educational simulator and does not provide investment advice. Practice results do not guarantee real results. See our disclaimer.
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