KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a strong recovery on Tuesday as fresh institutional and retail buying helped the benchmark indices rebound sharply after consecutive sessions of losses, with investor sentiment improving on the back of positive macroeconomic signals and supportive corporate developments.
The BRIndex100 closed at 16,522.90 points, gaining 269.11 points or 1.66 percent, with total traded volume of 309.04 million shares, while the BRIndex30 settled at 56,700.31 points, up 1,261.02 points or 2.27 percent, with turnover recorded at 205.99 million shares.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 148,743.32 points, registering a gain of 1,900.34 points or 1.29 percent compared with the previous close of 146,842.97 points. During the session, the index moved within a range of 150,225.63 points at its highest and 147,743.68 points at its lowest level, reflecting sustained buying interest throughout the day.
According to Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited, the market witnessed a positive session as investor sentiment turned upbeat, prompting fresh buying across key sectors. He noted that expectations surrounding a forthcoming briefing by the United States Department of War helped lift overall confidence in global markets, which in turn supported local equities.
He added that the day’s index performance was primarily supported by heavyweights including National Bank, Meezan Bank, Lucky Cement, Oil and Gas Development Company, Mari Petroleum, Habib Bank, Engro Holdings, Askari Bank, MCB Bank, and Bank Al Habib, which collectively contributed approximately 1,286 points to the benchmark index.
Overall activity in the ready market remained substantial, although lower than the previous session. Total traded volume stood at 434.96 million shares compared with 529.13 million shares earlier, while traded value declined to Rs22.54 billion from Rs29.60 billion. Despite lower activity, the market’s rebound helped restore investor wealth, with total market capitalization increasing to Rs16.53 trillion from Rs16.33 trillion, reflecting a gain of approximately Rs206.83 billion during the session.
Market breadth turned decisively positive, with 281 companies closing higher, 137 declining, and 61 remaining unchanged out of a total of 479 traded companies in the ready market.
K-Electric remained the most actively traded stock of the day with 46.92 million shares, closing at Rs6.89. Dost Steels followed with 36.12 million shares, closing at Rs5.44, while WorldCall Telecom recorded 27.97 million shares to settle at Rs1.17.
Among companies reflecting increase in rates, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited posted the largest gain, rising by Rs334.50 to close at Rs24,287.00, followed by Nestle Pakistan Limited, which advanced by Rs179.78 to settle at Rs7,712.40. On the losing side, Premium Textile Mills Limited declined by Rs42.08 to close at Rs380.18, while Shield Corporation Limited fell by Rs28.81 to Rs900.76.
The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 21,973.49 points after rising 492.13 points or 2.29 percent, with volume of 1.49 million shares. The BR Cement Index increased by 225.59 points or 2.37 percent to close at 9,739.10 points, with 22.02 million shares traded.
The BR Commercial Banks Index advanced by 783.84 points or 1.57 percent to 50,822.76 points, supported by turnover of 50.27 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index rose by 366.17 points or 1.49 percent to 24,923.20 points, with 68.74 million shares changing hands, while the BR Oil and Gas Index gained 174.53 points or 1.35 percent to settle at 13,144.74 points, with volume of 30.05 million shares.
The BR Tech and Communication Index also closed higher at 3,342.10 points, up 54.11 points or 1.65 percent, with turnover of 62.24 million shares.
Ali Najib stated that developments in the Middle East would continue to serve as a key driver for the KSE-100 Index going forward. He warned that escalating geopolitical tensions could weaken investor sentiment, trigger foreign outflows, and put pressure on cyclical sectors, while any signs of de-escalation may support further recovery.
He added that the unpredictable nature of geopolitical news flow is likely to keep markets volatile in the near term, resulting in cautious investor behaviour and sentiment-driven movements across equities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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