RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile session on the first trading day of the week, as early bullish momentum was wiped out by heavy late-session selling, finally the benchmark index closed into negative territory.
The benchmark KSE-100 index shed 813.29 points or 0.68 percent to close at 118,878 points on Monday, down from 119,691 points in the previous session. During the intraday trading, the index touched a high level of 120,591 points and a low level of 118,673 points.
On Monday, BRIndex100 ended at 12,769.35 points, which was 73.16 points or 0.57 percent lower than the previous close with the total volume of 352.774 million shares. BRIndex30 also decreased by only 435.07 points or 1.15 percent to settle at 37,359.78 points with the total share trading volume of 194.417 million.
Analysts at Topline sales desk cited that the market exhibited volatility on Monday, with the index fluctuating within a large band, primarily influenced by global market trends. Local equities faced selling pressure amid uncertainty surrounding the upcoming budget and the government’s proposed 2–3 percent hike in the tax rate on passive incomes.
Trading activity remained strong on Monday, with over 498 million shares changing hands. However, this was lower than the 580.38 million shares traded in the previous session on Friday. The traded value increased to Rs 23.450 billion from Rs 22.743 billion. The overall market capitalization fell by Rs 59 billion, closing at Rs 14.444 trillion compared to Rs 14.503 trillion on Friday. Out of 464 actively traded companies, 193 recorded gains, 231 declined, while 40 remained unchanged.
Upward momentum was supported by notable gains in PKGP, NATF, MEBL, NBP, and BAHL, which collectively added 201 points to the index. Conversely, losses in SYS, ENGROH, and PPL dragged the index down by a combined 341 points.
Among the top traded companies, Dewan Cement ranked first on Monday with 40.375 million shares closing at Rs 12.67, followed by Invest Bank, of which 31.86 million shares were traded and it closed at Rs 2.31. K-Electric Ltd. ranked third and closed at Rs 5.09 with 30.881 million shares turnover.
PIA Holding Company LimitedB recorded the highest gains increase by Rs 2,937.45 and closed at a new high of Rs 32,311.99 followed by Khyber Textile Mills Limited whose share price value closed at Rs 3,069.78, up by Rs 279.07. Moreover, Rafhan Maize Products Company Limited and S.S.Oil Mills Limited faced notable losses with share values decreased by Rs 41.89 and Rs 41.31 respectively to close at Rs 9,919.02 and Rs 788.43.
Meanwhile, BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 21,125.30 points with a net negative change of 162.03 points or 0.76 percent with the total turnover remaining 2.461 million shares. BR Cement Index lost 165.41 points or 1.6 percent to settle at 10,151.95 points with a total turnover of 72.089 million.
BR Commercial Banks Index closed at 35,009.41 points up by 18.64 points or 0.05 percent with a total turnover of 27.750 million shares. Meanwhile, BR Power Generation and Distribution Index ended at 20,464.17 points with a net positive change of 101.39 points or 0.5 percent with total turnover of 37.300 million shares.
BR Oil & Gas Index closed at 11,416.33 points with a net negative change of 92.31 points or 0.8 percent on 33.208 million shares turnover. While BR Technology & Communication Index finished at 2,902.41 points marking a negative change of 2120.36 points or 42.21 percent, with total turnover of 57.648 million shares.
Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said stocks remained under pressure in the pre-budget session at the PSX. Investor sentiment was dampened by reports of potential higher taxes on banking sector profits, income from savings schemes, and increased petroleum levies in the upcoming Federal Budget FY26. He added that concerns over geopolitical tensions and the instability of the rupee also contributed to the market’s bearish close.
