Index sheds 10.37 points

After witnessing a mixed trend and moving both sides the KSE-100 index on Wednesday closed at 12,433.17 points, down 10.37 points. That trend persisted throughout the session with the index oscillating between 12,498.18 points intra-day high and 12,415.97 points intra-day low levels.
Trading volume at ready counter stood at 83.251 million shares as compared to Tuesday's 88.106 million shares. Market capitalisation reduced by Rs 3 billion to Rs 3.270 trillion.
Of 337 active scrips, 123 closed in negative and 97 in positive, while the values of 117 stocks remained unchanged.
Azgard Nine was the volume leader with 6.647 million shares and gained Re 0.17 to close at Rs 6.01.
Lucky Cement lost Re 0.65 to close at Rs 72.60 with 6.368 million shares and DG Khan Cement gained Re 0.50 to close at Rs 23.46 with 5.144 million shares.
Lotte Pakistan PTA increased up by Re 0.23 to close at Rs 12.99 with 5.663 million shares. NIB Bank (R) closed flat at Re 0.02 with 5.296 million shares. Jahangir Siddiqui Co inched up by Re 0.05 to close at Rs 7.44 with 4.723 million shares. Arif Habib Corp increased by Re 0.92 to close at Rs 28.07 with 4.581 million shares.
Hub Power gained Re 0.08 to close at Rs 38.90 with 3.230 million shares. NBP lost Re 0.81 to close at Rs 53.55 with 3.159 million shares. Nishat Power inched up by Re 0.03 to close at Rs 15.73 with 2.885 million shares.
Rafhan Maize and Atlas Battery were highest gainers, increasing by Rs 91.31 and Rs 3.47 to close at Rs 2730.21 and Rs 238.84, while Nestle Pakistan and Unilever Pak were worst losers declining by Rs 59.67 and Rs 44.94 to close at Rs 4310.99 and Rs 5882.86 respectively.
Hasnain Asghar Ali at Aziz Fidahusein Co said that early hiccups and technical adjustment in various main board stocks led to a mixed to negative opening. The corporate influx on dips in high yielding stocks, mainly from the fertiliser sector, neutralised the negative impact due to sell-off in singled out stocks from E&P sector. However, targeted and syndicated support and high quantum change of hands on strength in cement sector, despite increase in input cost and decline in local and export sales, did pour in decent turnover, providing the day traders short-term trading opportunity, thus keeping the snap rallies-led activity alive throughout the session. Twenty-two points support extended by OGDC did restrict the benchmark from reflecting the wider sentiment, wherein panic was quite evident.