KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a decisive recovery on Wednesday as aggressive buying propelled benchmark indices sharply higher, reversing a portion of the steep losses suffered in recent sessions.
The rebound was supported by strong participation from both institutional and retail investors, as value-hunting emerged following the recent correction.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 178,853.10 points, compared with the previous close of 173,150.42 points, registering a gain of 5,702.68 points, or 3.29 percent. The market largely traded in positive territory throughout the session, with the index touching an intraday high of 178,974.17 points and a low of 174,328.61 points, reflecting sustained buying interest despite intraday volatility.
On Wednesday, the BRIndex100 rebounded sharply. The index closed at 20,104.19, registering a gain of 656.52 points, or 3.38 percent, over the previous close. Total turnover on the BRIndex100 stood at 543.67 million shares. The BRIndex30 also posted a strong recovery. It closed at 72,633.08, up 2,964.30 points, or 4.25 percent, from the previous session. Trading volume on the BRIndex30 reached 396.02 million shares.
According to Topline Securities, the session reflected a recovery phase, with the index moving within a defined trading band during the day. The brokerage noted that support from major index heavyweights — United Bank Limited (UBL), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), and MCB Bank — underpinned overall market performance, collectively contributing 2,699 points to the benchmark index. However, selective selling in Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL), Pioneer Cement (PIOC), and AICL trimmed 163 points, preventing a steeper advance.
Market capitalization surged to Rs20.227 trillion, compared with Rs19.666 trillion in the previous session, reflecting an increase of around Rs561 billion in a single day. Analysts noted that the sharp rise signalled a meaningful restoration of investor wealth. The expansion in market value underscored the scale of the rebound, particularly in banking and power generation stocks, which had borne the brunt of earlier selling pressure and led the recovery during the session.
Trading activity remained healthy and orderly. In the Ready Market, total turnover stood at 697.68 million shares, slightly lower than the previous session’s 716.04 million shares, while traded value increased to Rs49.99 billion, up from Rs40.47 billion, indicating higher-value transactions and improved quality of participation.
Market breadth strongly favoured advancers, reinforcing the bullish tone. In the Ready Market, 334 stocks advanced, 103 declined, and 47 remained unchanged, out of 484 traded companies.
Volume leadership remained concentrated in power, banking, telecom and energy stocks. K-Electric Limited once again topped the volume chart, with 116.97 million shares traded, closing higher at Rs8.39. Bank of Punjab followed with 71.11 million shares, closing at Rs35.78, while Pakistan Petroleum Limited recorded a turnover of 27.58 million shares, ending at Rs236.86. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) posted a strong gain to Rs58.49 on volumes of 25.47 million shares.
On the price front, select high-priced stocks posted notable gains. PIA Holding Company Limited (B) rose by Rs183.00 to close at Rs18,335.00, while Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited advanced by Rs150.00 to Rs26,655.00, reflecting selective interest in defensive and blue-chip names. On the downside, Hoechst Pakistan Limited declined by Rs142.41 to Rs4,352.59, while Khyber Textile Mills Limited shed Rs46.98 to close at Rs1,613.00, indicating continued stock-specific profit-taking.
Sector-wise performance under the BR indices reinforced the positive tone. The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 27,399.10, gaining 410.67 points, or 1.52 percent, with a turnover of 2.75 million shares. The BR Cement Index advanced 178.54 points, or 1.41 percent, to close at 12,883.04, supported by volumes of 21.32 million shares.
The BR Commercial Banks Index emerged as the standout performer, surging 3,906.65 points, or 6.66 percent, to close at 62,533.02, on heavy turnover of 119.68 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index climbed 1,047.08 points, or 3.78 percent, to settle at 28,757.55, with volumes of 168.38 million shares, underlining sustained interest in power sector scrips.
The BR Oil and Gas Index also ended firmly higher, rising 172.96 points, or 1.18 percent, to 14,793.88, on turnover of 80.39 million shares. Meanwhile, the BR Technology and Communication Index advanced 95.46 points, or 2.54 percent, to close at 3,857.14, with volumes of 69.47 million shares.
Overall, Wednesday’s session reflected a technically strong rebound at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, driven by aggressive buying in banking and power stocks and supported by renewed interest across energy, cement, automobile, and technology sectors.
While the recovery restored some investor confidence after recent sharp declines, market participants remained cautious, closely monitoring global developments, macroeconomic cues, and upcoming corporate announcements, with volatility expected to persist in the near term.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.