KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed marginally higher on Tuesday as optimism over a possible easing of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East encouraged selective buying, although investors remained cautious amid uncertainty surrounding US-Iran relations.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 205.83 points, or 0.12 percent, to close at 176,133.57 points, compared with the previous close of 175,927.74 points. During the session, the index touched an intraday high of 178,370.46 points before slipping to a low of 176,062.70 points.
Business Recorder indices reflected the mixed trend. The BRIndex100 gained 21.04 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 19,359.26 points with a total turnover of 886.98 million shares, while the BRIndex30 slipped 92.46 points, or 0.13 percent, to 69,967.72 points, with trading volume of 594.02 million shares.
Commenting on the market performance, Nawaz Ali of JS Global said stocks witnessed a modest rebound, supported by hopes of de-escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. However, he noted that overall market participation remained subdued as investors maintained a cautious stance. He said the market’s underlying fundamentals remain supportive, but investors continue to closely monitor developments in US-Iran relations, as any adverse escalation could hurt investor sentiment and trigger renewed volatility.
Market activity strengthened significantly during the session. Ready market volume surged to 1.003 billion shares from 675.92 million shares in the previous session, while traded value increased to Rs35.70 billion from Rs30.27 billion.
Ready market capitalization also improved to Rs19.790 trillion, compared with Rs19.763 trillion a day earlier.
Market breadth remained positive as advancing stocks comfortably outnumbered losers. Of the 494 companies traded on the ready market, 268 advanced, 191 declined, while 35 remained unchanged.
Among the most actively traded stocks, Cnergyico PK led the volume chart with 263.63 million shares, closing lower at Rs9.96. It was followed by Trust Brokerage, with 111.32 million shares, closing at Rs2.39, and TPL Properties, with 73.87 million shares, ending at Rs13.27.
Among gainers, Khyber Textile Mills Limited recorded the largest increase, rising Rs91.84 to close at Rs2,163.06, followed by Nestle Pakistan Limited, which gained Rs72.69 to end at Rs7,651.92.
On the downside, PIA Holding Company Limited (B) registered the biggest decline, falling Rs492.66 to Rs17,507.33, while Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited lost Rs189.98 to close at Rs25,250.02.
Among Business Recorder sectoral indices, the BR Commercial Banks Index rose 195.89 points, or 0.32 percent, to 61,653.47 points on turnover of 36.30 million shares. The BR Tech & Communication Index gained 13.57 points, or 0.37 percent, to close at 3,692.98 points with 67.03 million shares traded.
The BR Cement Index advanced 29.16 points, or 0.24 percent, to 12,428.35 points on turnover of 49.98 million shares, while the BR Power Generation and Distribution Index added 64.25 points, or 0.23 percent, to finish at 27,883.82 points with 35.91 million shares changing hands.
The BR Automobile Assembler Index declined 19.23 points, or 0.08 percent, to 23,521.20 points on turnover of 2.08 million shares, while the BR Oil and Gas Index fell 41.31 points, or 0.28 percent, to close at 14,756.23 points with 40.00 million shares traded.
Market participants are expected to remain focused on geopolitical developments in the Middle East. While easing tensions could support investor confidence, analysts believe any renewed escalation in US-Iran relations may trigger fresh volatility in the domestic equity market.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026