PSX Data Project Ideas for CS Students
If you study computer science or data science in Pakistan, financial markets are a good place for a project. The data is real and the maths is practical, and a finished project is something you can show an employer. Here are seven ideas, where to find data, and the rules to follow when you use it.
Where to get data
- PSX data portal (dps.psx.com.pk). Historical prices by symbol and by month, plus announcements, indices and financial reports. PSX states that reusing its market data needs a licence (it points to marketdatarequest@psx.com.pk). Use it for your own learning and coursework, do not republish it, and credit PSX.
- State Bank of Pakistan (EasyData). Time series you can download, such as interest rates and exchange rates.
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Inflation (CPI) and other national statistics.
- This site. The open data page has aggregate figures from the practice portfolios, with charts you can embed. Company pages show closing prices and history, and the free tools give you answers to check your own code against. There is no price API.
Seven project ideas
Risk and return calculator · Easy
Load daily closing prices for one stock, then compute daily returns, annualized volatility, maximum drawdown and the Sharpe ratio.
Tip: Check your numbers against the Stock Risk Statistics tool. If they differ, find out why: it teaches you more than the answer.
Portfolio tracker · Easy to medium
Record buys and sells and show holdings, cash, profit and loss. Add cash dividends, bonus shares and stock splits, which change quantities and prices without a trade.
Tip: A split that looks like a crash in the raw prices is the classic data trap. Handle it before you trust any chart.
Strategy tester (backtest) · Medium
Test a simple rule on a few stocks, for example a moving-average crossover or buying after a fall, and compare with buy-and-hold and with the KSE-100.
Tip: Split the data: design on the older part, test on the newer part. Include trading costs. Read how to test a trading strategy.
Correlation and diversification study · Medium
Compute the correlation between stocks and sectors, and show how a mix of stocks changes risk compared with one stock.
Tip: Compare with the Portfolio Risk tool, which shows a correlation matrix.
Macro dashboard · Medium
Plot the KSE-100 or a sector against interest rates, the exchange rate or inflation. Look for relationships, and then for reasons they might not hold.
Tip: The State Bank of Pakistan’s EasyData lets you download time series. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics publishes inflation (CPI) data.
Announcements and returns · Harder
Collect company announcements (dividends, results) and study what happened to the price in the days afterwards.
Tip: Use only the data you are allowed to use, and watch for look-ahead: use only what was known at the time.
Practice portfolios study · Medium
Use the aggregate figures on our open data page (most widely held stocks, sectors held, how many stocks practice investors hold, how portfolios are performing) to study how beginners build portfolios, for example how concentrated they are.
Tip: The figures are aggregates with no personal data. Embed a chart on your own page with the copy-and-paste code.
Tools you can use
Python with pandas and matplotlib is the common choice. SQL is useful for storing prices and joining tables, and Excel or Google Sheets works for a first version. A Jupyter notebook is a good way to show your steps.
Make it worth showing
- Write a clear README: the question, the data source and date, how to run it, and what you found.
- State the limits: sample size, costs you ignored, and what the results cannot tell you.
- Do not upload raw PSX data files. Say where the data came from and how to download it.
- Test an idea with practice money. A paper trading account lets you see how the same idea behaves going forward, at real end-of-day prices.
Questions from CS students
I am a CS student in Pakistan. What is a practical project to learn about financial markets?
Build a small tool on real market data: a daily-returns and risk calculator, a portfolio tracker that handles dividends and splits, or a simple strategy tester compared with buy-and-hold. Then check your numbers against the free tools on Pak Stock Exchange and try the same idea with practice money.
Where can I get PSX price data for a project?
The PSX data portal (dps.psx.com.pk) has historical data by symbol and by month. PSX states that reusing its market data requires a licence, so use it for your own learning and coursework, do not republish it, and credit PSX. For a project that will be shared or sold, ask PSX about a licence.
Does Pak Stock Exchange have a public price API?
No. There is no price API. The open data page has aggregate figures from the practice portfolios with charts you can embed, and the company pages show prices and history.
Can I put the project on my CV or GitHub?
Yes. Keep your code and notes on GitHub, but do not upload raw PSX data files. Describe where the data comes from and how to download it, and state the limits of your results honestly.
Does a backtest tell me how a strategy will perform in future?
No. It shows how rules would have done on past data. Costs, price limits, thin trading and emotions change real results. Treat a backtest as a way to rule ideas out.
Try your idea with Rs. 10 lakh in practice money on real PSX prices. Free, no real money.
Start Virtual TradingLast checked October 2026. General education only, not investment advice. Data sources and their terms change: check each source before you use it. See our disclaimer.
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