KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed on a firm note on Wednesday, as strong institutional buying in heavyweight stocks lifted all major indices despite lingering caution across the broader market.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index surged by 1,496.04 points, or 0.93 percent, to close at 163,188.53 as compared to 161,692.49 points on Tuesday. During the session the index fluctuated between the high of 163,397.24 points and low of 160,564.86 points.
On Wednesday, BRIndex100 closed at 17,313.53, rising 203.12 points, or 1.19 percent, with a turnover of 495.87 million shares. BRIndex30 finished at 54,521.10, up 398.40 points, or 0.74 percent, on a volume of 270.81 million shares.
According to market commentary from Arif Habib Limited’s Deputy Head of Trading, Ali Najib, the session reflected improving sentiment as the rollover week progressed. He noted that the market opened on a flat tone before slipping into selling pressure, pushing the KSE-100 to an intraday low of around 160,565—down over 1,100 points and briefly losing the 161,000 level. However, he observed that value buyers emerged at the lows, helping the benchmark index recover sharply by the close.
Najib highlighted that the day’s rally was strongly supported by fertilizer and banking stocks, with FFC contributing more than 500 points and renewed interest in lenders such as MEBL, HBL, NBP, and UBL adding substantial upward momentum. Najib suggested that market momentum appeared to be strengthening and anticipated that the index could continue trending positively toward the 165,000 mark in the remaining sessions of the week.
Trading activity continued to improve, as the Regular Market recorded a traded value of Rs30.92 billion as compared to Rs.22.15 billion with a turnover of 636.41 million shares. Backed by selective buying in blue-chip counters, the Regular Market’s market capitalization rose to Rs18.51 trillion which was Rs18.41 trillion on Tuesday.
Despite strong index-level gains, market breadth remained negative. Out of 474 active scrips in the Ready Market, 290 closed lower while 136 advanced.
WorldCall Telecom once again led the Ready Market with 47.78 million shares traded, closing at Rs1.82. Hum Network followed with 38.12 million shares, closing at Rs16.48. Dost Steels Ltd. and Bank of Punjab also saw turnovers exceeding 31 million shares.
In price comparison, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited shares price jumped to Rs. 29,590.00 with an increase of Rs. 539. Sapphire Fibres Limited also increased by Rs.31.97 and ended the day at Rs.1,298.90. On flip side, PIA Holding Company LimitedB lost Rs1,079.63 and finished the day at Rs.23,206.37.
Sectoral performance was mixed. The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 24,160.55, down 42.52 points or 0.18 percent, with a turnover of 1.63 million shares. The BR Cement Index rose to 12,752.94, gaining 95.26 points or 0.75 percent, with 27.72 million shares traded.
The BR Commercial Banks Index advanced to 48,467.17, adding 574.24 points or 1.20 percent, with a turnover of 69.89 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index closed at 25,484.07, up 110.27 points or 0.43 percent, on 38.89 million shares.
The BR Oil and Gas Index settled at 13,835.53, gaining 112.77 points or 0.82 percent, with 29.63 million shares traded. Meanwhile, the BR Technology & Communication Index edged down to 3,779.50, losing 1.10 points or 0.03 percent, despite leading sectoral volumes with 133.81 million shares.
The session closed with strong upward momentum driven by buying in key blue-chip stocks, even as most traded companies ended lower—underscoring a selective rally that continued to coexist with cautious sentiment across much of the broader market.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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