KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recovered on Monday amid choppy trading ahead of the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee announcement, with investors cautiously positioning for an anticipated increase in the policy rate.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index advanced by 663.59 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 163,038.47 points against 162,374.88 points in the previous session. During the day, the index fluctuated within a range of 2,227.02 points, touching an intraday high of 163,477.09 points and a low of 161,250.07 points.
BRIndex100 closed at 17,901.55 points, up 99.40 points, or 0.56 percent, with a turnover of 226.778 million shares. BRIndex30 rose by 577.78 points, or 0.92 percent, to settle at 63,604.72 points, with a total volume of 114.043 million shares.
According to Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited, the market moved in both directions amid cautious investor sentiment ahead of the SBP’s policy announcement, with market participants largely anticipating a rate hike.
On the index contribution front, UBL, ENGROH, LUCK, OGDC and MARI collectively contributed 719 points to the benchmark, while MEBL, EFERT, FFC, PSEL and HBL collectively eroded 367 points.
Ready-market trading volume declined to 376.020 million shares from 398.943 million shares in the previous session, a decrease of 22.923 million shares, or 5.75 percent. Traded value fell to Rs. 16.192 billion from Rs. 18.203 billion, down Rs. 2.011 billion, or 11.05 percent.
Total market capitalisation increased by Rs. 46.951 billion to Rs. 18.061 trillion from Rs. 18.014 trillion previously. Market breadth remained negative despite the benchmark’s recovery, as 251 companies closed lower, 196 advanced and 48 remained unchanged out of 495 active issues.
LSE Financial (R) led ready-market turnover with 25.465 million shares. The stock closed at Rs. 0.78 against the previous close of Rs. 0.79. Pervez Ahmed Co followed with 20.496 million shares. It settled at Rs. 3.24 compared with Rs. 3.33 previously. Pak Refinery recorded turnover of 18.840 million shares. It finished the day at Rs. 95.71 against the previous close of Rs. 94.52.
Among ready-market price gainers, Sapphire Textile Mills Limited recorded the largest increase, rising by Rs. 35.50 to close at Rs. 1,557.65. Attock Refinery Limited followed, gaining Rs. 21.32 to settle at Rs. 1,112.07.
On the losing side, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited recorded the largest decline, shedding Rs. 696.29 to finish at Rs. 25,680.50. Khairpur Sugar Mills Limited followed, falling by Rs. 155.53 to close at Rs. 1,399.82.
Sectoral performance was mixed. The BR Automobile Assembler Index declined by 45.24 points, or 0.22 percent, to close at 20,916.97 points, with turnover of 3.880 million shares. In contrast, the BR Cement Index advanced by 255.00 points, or 2.31 percent, to 11,284.37 points, with volume of 21.213 million shares.
The BR Commercial Banks Index gained 81.19 points, or 0.14 percent, to settle at 56,408.99 points, with turnover of 20.164 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index increased by 23.36 points, or 0.10 percent, to 24,236.08 points, with volume of 27.392 million shares.
The BR Oil and Gas Index rose by 125.90 points, or 0.87 percent, to close at 14,650.88 points, with turnover of 16.052 million shares. The BR Technology and Communication Index, however, shed 12.82 points, or 0.43 percent, to finish at 2,990.14 points, with volume of 42.058 million shares.
Ali Najib said the market appeared to have largely priced in the anticipated 50-basis-point policy-rate hike, which could pave the way for a short-term recovery in interest-rate-sensitive sectors. However, he expected the KSE-100 Index to remain volatile within the 160,000–168,000 range during the week amid cautious investor sentiment and evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical developments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026