RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a lackluster trading session on Thursday, with key indices posting marginal losses amidst fluctuating investor sentiment.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index slightly declined by 157.87 points or 0.13 percent to close at 121,641 points on Thursday down from 121,799 points on Wednesday. The index remained volatile throughout the session, touching an intraday high of 122,281.58 points and a low of 121,517.90 points.

On Thursday, the BRIndex100 also concluded the session on a negative note, down by 51.16 points or 0.39 percent to close at 13,034.25 points. The index recorded a healthy trading volume of 724.30 million shares. In addition, the BRIndex30 also ended in the red, losing 65.42 points or 0.17 percent to settle at 38,027.81 points, with a turnover of 455.93 million shares.

Analysts argued that the volatile price action was largely driven by selective profit-taking, as investors adopted a cautious stance amid lingering economic uncertainties and anticipation surrounding upcoming macroeconomic announcements.

According to JS Global, the market commenced Thursday’s session on a positive note, rallying to an intraday high of 122,281 points on the back of early bullish sentiment and aggressive buying in select sectors. However, the upward momentum proved short-lived as profit-taking at higher levels triggered a pullback, ultimately dragging the benchmark KSE-100 Index down to close at 121,641 points, marking a decline of 158 points.

Market participation improved on Thursday, with overall traded volumes rose to 854.61 million shares, up from 710.59 million shares recorded in the previous session. Despite the surge in activity, the daily traded value contracted sharply to Rs 25.79 billion, compared to Rs 35.22 billion a day earlier, indicating a shift towards lower-priced stocks and speculative counters. Meanwhile, the market capitalization remained largely range-bound, declining by Rs 21 billion to settle at Rs 14.728 trillion, against Rs 14.749 trillion in the prior session.

Among the active stocks in the Ready Market, K-Electric Limited led the volumes with 179.67 million shares to close at PKR 5.83. Unity Foods Ltd and WorldCall Telecom followed with turnovers of 62.90 million and 52.37 million shares respectively with the closing rates of 26.89 and Rs 1.42.

Among the top gainers, Rafhan Maize Products saw a sharp rise of Rs 114.29, closing at Rs 9,855.72, while Pakistan Engineering Company Limited gained Rs 81.93 to settle at Rs 901.23. On the other hand, the major losers of the day included PIA Holding Company LimitedB, which dropped by a hefty Rs 3,198.89 to close at Rs 28,789.98, and Khyber Textile Mills Limited, which fell by Rs 303.91 to finish at Rs 2,735.17.

Meanwhile, BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 21,015.36 points with a net negative change of 69.29 points or 0.33 percent with the total turnover remaining 3.772 million shares. BR Cement Index lost 72.05 points or 0.7 percent to settle at 10,242.24 points with a total turnover of 63.76 million.

BR Commercial Banks Index closed at 36,217.98 points down by 253.68 points or 0.7 percent with a total turnover of 66.835 million shares. Meanwhile, BR Power Generation and Distribution Index ended at 21,454.69 points with a net positive change of 291 points or 1.38 percent with total turnover of 185.760 million shares.

BR Oil & Gas Index closed at 11,542.23 points with a net negative change of 68.79 points or 0.59 percent on 26.536 million shares turnover. While BR Technology & Communication Index finished at 3,002.81 points marking a positive change of 34.17 points or 1.15 percent, with a total turnover of 96.430 million shares.

Market analysts attributed the day’s volatility to cautious investor sentiment ahead of key economic data releases and the upcoming federal budget, both of which are expected to steer market direction in the coming sessions. The Topline Securities noted that following a recent buying spree, the market remained range-bound on Thursday as investors preferred to adopt a wait-and-see approach ahead of the long Eid weekend.