KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange witnessed an active yet cautious trading session on Wednesday, marked by heavy investor participation but little movement in market direction.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed almost flat, shedding just 3.12 points to settle at 156,177.82 points, compared to 156,180.94 points a day earlier. The index briefly crossed the 157,000 mark, hitting an intraday high of 157,196.59, before profit-taking dragged it down to a session low of 155,960.36.
The BRIndex100 ended at 16,070.89, down 35.55 points or 0.22 percent, with a robust turnover of 1,263.35 million shares. The BRIndex30 also finished lower, shedding 61.37 points, or 0.12 percent, to close at 50,373.90 on a volume of 683.61 million shares.
Topline Securities, in its post-session commentary, noted that the session remained volatile as profit-taking countered early gains. Positive contributions from SYS, LUCK, and BOP added 322 points to the benchmark index, but these were offset by declines in HUBC, MEBL, OGDC, PPL, and UBL, collectively erasing 278 points.
Despite the flat close, market activity picked up sharply. Turnover in the ready market rose to nearly 1.5 billion shares, higher than the previous session’s 1.35 billion shares, while traded value climbed to over Rs48.8 billion from Rs43.2 billion. Analysts said the rise in activity suggested active sectoral rotation rather than investor hesitation. Market capitalization, however, dipped slightly to Rs18.357 trillion from Rs18.383 trillion, reflecting the marginally negative close.
WorldCall Telecom remained the volume leader, with more than 137 million shares traded, ending slightly higher at Rs1.72. Media Times Limited stood out with a strong rally to Rs5.86 on 94 million shares, while Bank of Punjab climbed to Rs21.71 with 84 million shares traded.
Among individual gainers, Khyber Textile Mills rose sharply by Rs222.46 to close at Rs2,447.05, and PIA Holding Company Limited-B jumped Rs158.95 to finish at Rs25,158.95. On the losing side, Hoechst Pakistan Limited fell Rs51.03 to Rs3,946.97, while S.S. Oil Mills dropped Rs35.06 to Rs515.84.
By the end of the session, 235 companies closed in positive territory, 219 declined, and 31 remained unchanged out of 485 active companies.
Sector-wise, automobile assemblers and cement stocks led the advance. The BR Automobile Assembler Index gained 0.83 percent to close at 25,214.07 on 18.13 million shares, while the BR Cement Index added 0.65 percent to finish at 13,353.21 with 86.74 million shares traded.
Banking stocks edged lower, dragging the BR Commercial Banks Index down 0.14 percent to 45,077.17 on 104.35 million shares. The power and oil sectors were the biggest drags, with the BR Power Generation and Distribution Index plunging 1.08 percent to 25,582.23 and the BR Oil and Gas Index slipping 0.64 percent to 13,563.75.
Technology and communication stocks were the standout performers, with the BR Tech & Comm Index surging 2.06 percent to 3,568.53 on a massive 382.06 million shares.
According to Mubashir Anis Naviwala of JS Global, the bourse opened on a strong note but could not sustain its upward momentum as profit-taking erased early gains. Selling pressure was most pronounced in exploration and production as well as power generation stocks, he noted, advising investors to remain cautious near resistance levels and focus on selective accumulation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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