KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed an active yet directionless trading session on Wednesday, as strong investor participation across multiple sectors contrasted with an almost unchanged finish in the benchmark index.
The KSE-100 Index moved within a wide intraday band — rising to 170,697.75 before slipping to 169,239.24 — and ultimately closed with a marginal loss of 4.52 points at 169,451.86, reflecting a market navigating between persistent profit-taking and select accumulation.
BRIndex100 closed at 17,836.26, down 26.62 points or 0.15 percent on a substantial turnover of 955.50 million shares. In contrast, BRIndex30 closed higher at 58,184.94, gaining 205.40 points or 0.35 percent, supported by a turnover of 545.86 million shares.
According to Topline Securities, the KSE-100 Index ended the session with a barely noticeable decline following a day of pronounced volatility. The brokerage noted that investor sentiment remained mixed, with profit-taking driving much of the index’s fluctuation. Gains in MLCF, LUCK, ISL, FCCL and PIOC collectively contributed 498 points to the benchmark, but this momentum was offset by declines in FFC, SRVI and PPL, which together deducted 380 points and kept the index in tight consolidation.
Despite the muted headline movement, underlying activity remained robust. Ready market turnover rose sharply to 1.19 billion shares from 1.03 billion shares the day before, while traded value stood firm at Rs50.49 billion. Market capitalization improved modestly to Rs19.29 trillion from Rs19.27 trillion, suggesting broader valuation support even as the index struggled to find clear direction.
Market breadth remained moderately positive, with more advancers than decliners. Activity remained concentrated in mid-cap names, led by Hum Network, which topped the volume charts with 132.04 million shares traded before closing at Rs13.97. Bank Makramah followed with 103.48 million shares, closing at Rs6.14. Strong activity also flowed into TPL Properties, First National Equities, Bank of Punjab, Fauji Foods, PIA Holding Company, Bunnys Limited, K-Electric and PTCL, which collectively powered market liquidity.
Large-cap stocks showed sharp moves in both directions. Khyber Textile Mills delivered one of the strongest gains of the session, surging by Rs160.34 to close at Rs1,910.94, while Unilever Pakistan Foods gained Rs100 to settle at Rs28,999. Conversely, Service Industries slumped by Rs145.89 to close at Rs1,644.17, and Rafhan Maize fell by Rs63.92 to Rs9,322.08.
The BR Automobile Assembler Index edged up to 24,299.78 after adding 22.04 points on a turnover of 4.33 million shares. The BR Cement Index outperformed all major sectors, surging 404.17 points to 14,347.22, with trading volume rising to 89.67 million shares as cement stocks drew sustained buying.
The BR Commercial Banks Index also closed higher at 49,538.49 after gaining 41.94 points, backed by 175.68 million shares in turnover. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index rose to 26,880.31 with 86.07 million shares traded.
On the downside, the BR Oil and Gas Index fell to 14,505.31 after losing 130.07 points on 45.09 million shares, while the BR Tech & Communication Index dipped to 4,035.28 after shedding 46.14 points despite leading sectoral volumes with 207.84 million shares.
Although the KSE-100 Index struggled to establish a clear trajectory, the rise in turnover, higher market capitalization and broad participation across ready, futures and CSF markets reflected strong liquidity and intense investor engagement. Analysts noted that with sectoral flows actively rotating —particularly into cement, banking, power and select mid-cap stocks — the market appears internally resilient even as it awaits clearer direction in the coming sessions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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