RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange closed firmly in positive territory on Wednesday, despite a decline in overall trading volumes and mixed market breadth. The benchmark KSE-100 Index advanced by 1,291.15 points to settle at 162,226.28, compared with 160,935.13 in the previous session, marking an increase of 0.80 percent. The index oscillated between an intraday low of 161,279.02 and a high of 162,741.73 before closing sharply higher.
The broader BRIndex series also reflected notable gains. The BRIndex100 closed at 17,174.50, up 206.45 points or 1.22 percent, on a total volume of 819.637 million shares. The BRIndex30 settled at 54,629.86 after rising 378.63 points or 0.7 percent, with 655.564 million shares traded.
Market sentiment strengthened further on the back of renewed institutional flows and sectoral leadership. According to Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited, the session clearly reflected the return of bullish momentum, with buyers stepping in steadily as the market progressed. He noted that the most striking development was the continued rally in Fauji Fertilizer Company, which has been gaining traction since the start of the week following its scheduled inclusion in the KMI-30 Index effective November 24. He explained that this reshuffling attracted fresh institutional allocations and helped stabilise the broader market during a sentiment-sensitive phase.
Najib added that renewed interest in FFC, along with PPL, OGDC, PSO and EFERT, contributed nearly 1,385 points to the KSE-100 Index. He further highlighted Shield Corporation’s 10 percent surge to the upper circuit following its voluntary delisting and buyback announcement, viewing the move as a sign of sponsor confidence in long-term fundamentals.
In addition, he observed that PPL’s nearly 4 percent rise was supported by optimism surrounding the company’s coastal land reclamation initiative aimed at establishing a dedicated operational hub to accelerate upstream expansion. Improved liquidity levels, he said, were consistent with this broad shift in sentiment.
Market participation remained mixed, with 194 companies advancing, 244 declining and 46 unchanged in the ready market.
Ready market volumes dropped to 1.02 billion shares from 1.54 billion a day earlier, though traded value rose notably to Rs45.17 billion from Rs38.85 billion, indicating strong interest in high-value stocks.
Overall market capitalisation posted a substantial increase, rising to Rs18.48 trillion from Rs18.37 trillion, adding Rs107 billion in market value.
WorldCall Telecom dominated the ready market with 160.1 million shares traded, closing at Rs1.91. Bank Makramah followed with 111.69 million shares at Rs6.12. Beco Steel, K-Electric, Pak International Bulk Terminal, PTCL, Pace (Pakistan), Lotte Chemical, Maple Leaf Cement and Telecard also featured prominently among the top-volume stocks.
Unilever Pakistan Foods recorded the steepest price gain, surging by Rs249.97 to close at Rs29,899.96, while Supernet Technologies advanced by Rs95.54 to finish at Rs1,978.15. On the losing side, PIA Holding Company Limited-B dropped sharply by Rs781.95 to Rs24,205.05, followed by Rafhan Maize Products, which fell by Rs71.65 to Rs9,388.33.
Sectoral indices exhibited mixed performance. The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 24,453.08 after shedding 47.79 points or 0.2 percent, with a turnover of 2.79 million shares. The BR Cement Index ended at 12,666.31, down 49.64 points or 0.39 percent, on a turnover of 52.12 million shares.
The BR Commercial Banks Index slipped 16.84 points or 0.04 percent to 48,022.46, with 141.38 million shares traded. In contrast, the BR Power Generation and Distribution Index climbed 122.02 points or 0.49 percent to 25,180.55, on a turnover of 81.59 million shares.
The BR Oil and Gas Index advanced 252.7 points or 1.86 percent to 13,874.90, with 56.99 million shares traded. Meanwhile, the BR Technology & Communication Index declined by 23.71 points or 0.63 percent to close at 3,762.53, with a turnover of 228.00 million shares.
Muhammad Hasan Athar of JS Global said the recent upward momentum was largely driven by improving economic stability, successful IMF-backed reforms and a marked increase in retail investor participation.
He noted that midday profit-taking was swiftly absorbed, underscoring the market’s underlying resilience. While he cautioned that short-term volatility is likely to persist, he maintained a constructive medium-term outlook supported by expectations of further macroeconomic stabilisation.
