RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange carried its historic rally forward on Tuesday, with the benchmark index breaking new ground on the back of encouraging economic data and sustained investor confidence.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 150,975.48 points, marking a strong gain of 1,004 points or 0.67 percent from the previous close of 149,971.12. After dipping to an intraday low of 150,081 points, the index surged to a record peak of 151,075 points before finally settling just below that level, underscoring the depth of buying interest that has underpinned the recent bullish wave.

The rally added heft to the market’s size, as total capitalization rose by nearly Rs 55 billion, closing at Rs 17.855 trillion compared with Rs 17.800 trillion a day earlier. Trading volumes in the ready market remained impressive at 1.08 billion shares, slightly lower than the 1.18 billion shares recorded on Monday, while traded value eased to Rs 44.4 billion from Rs 48.8 billion.

The BRIndex100 settled at 15,380.43 points, up 145.43 points or 0.95 percent, with 890 million shares traded. In contrast, the BRIndex30 eased by 123.44 points or 0.28 percent to close at 44,700.89, with a total volume of 508 million shares.

Investor sentiment was lifted by a stream of positive macroeconomic indicators. According to Topline Securities, the rally continued with the market maintaining strong momentum throughout the day, driven by broad-based buying across major sectors.

The broader market reflected a balanced tone, with 226 companies advancing, 232 declining and 21 remaining unchanged out of 479 that came under trading.

Bank of Punjab dominated trading activity, with more than 174 million shares changing hands, closing at Rs 17.58 after touching an intraday high of Rs 18.20. Pak Elektron was also actively traded with over 52 million shares, ending the session at Rs 52.47, while First National Equities recorded a turnover of 39.77 million shares, closing at Rs 6.64.

Blue-chip counters witnessed sharp swings. Unilever Foods surged by Rs 283.80 to close at Rs 32,984.80, while Siemens Pakistan advanced by Rs 133.37 to Rs 1,692.35. On the downside, PIA Holding Company (B) plunged by Rs 642.50 to close at Rs 26,657.50, and Hoechst Pakistan dropped Rs 237.28 to Rs 3,789.35.

The BR Automobile Assembler Index slipped 63.5 points, or 0.26 percent, to 24,431.08 on 18.43 million shares, while the BR Cement Index fell 151.69 points, or 1.19 percent, to 12,555.49 on 59.39 million shares. The BR Commercial Banks Index, however, gained 288.85 points, or 0.65 percent, to close at 44,869.08 on a hefty turnover of 225.24 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index lost 196.91 points, or 0.87 percent, finishing at 22,503.73 on 46.57 million shares. The BR Oil and Gas Index inched up 16.65 points, or 0.13 percent, to 12,968.08 with 32.99 million shares traded, while the BR Technology and Communication Index added 15.57 points, or 0.47 percent, to settle at 3,315.98 with a volume of 71.91 million shares.

According to Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation, the bull market was powered by upbeat economic signals. He pointed to surging foreign exchange reserves, subdued CPI inflation at just 3 percent year-on-year, a 7 percent rise in oil sales during August 2025, and expectations of government spending on reconstruction in flood-hit areas as the key catalysts driving the record-setting close. Market watchers believe these factors will continue to underpin sentiment in the sessions ahead.