RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange staged a steady recovery on Thursday as renewed buying interest supported key indices and helped the market regain ground following a heavy spell of institutional selling a day earlier. benchmark KSE-100 Index closed slightly higher at 166,283.55 points, gaining 138.20 points or 0.08 percent from the previous close of 166,145.35. The index traded within a narrow band, touching an intraday high of 166,837.10 and a low of 165,886.26, indicating controlled but steady participation.
BRIndex100 closed at 17,534.04, up 10.53 points or 0.06 percent, with a total volume of 470.22 million shares. BRIndex30 ended the session at 56,401.87, gaining 293.82 points or 0.52 percent with a turnover of 232.29 million shares.
According to Topline Securities, the bourse rebounded after Wednesday’s aggressive institutional profit-taking. The benchmark briefly surged by as much as 691 points during intraday trade before settling with a modest gain, a movement analysts attributed to improved confidence and opportunistic buying across key sectors.
Sentiment was further lifted after the Prime Minister announced that the bidding process for the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would be broadcast live on national television on December 23, 2025. This announcement sparked heightened interest in PIAHCLA, which remained among the most actively traded contracts throughout the day.
Topline analysts also noted that strong performances by SRVI, PIOC, PTC, ENGROH and PPL collectively contributed around 298 points to the KSE-100, reinforcing the overall positive momentum.
Market capitalization registered a meaningful rise, climbing to Rs18.948 trillion from Rs18.915 trillion the previous day—an increase of over Rs33 billion — signaling mild valuation recovery despite mixed breadth.
The ready market recorded improved activity with 607.79 million shares traded, up from 593.08 million shares previously, although overall traded value decreased to Rs31.22 billion from Rs44.42 billion as interest remained focused on mid-tier names.
Market breadth remained slightly negative as 203 companies advanced while 223 declined and 51 remained unchanged out of 477 traded in the ready market.
Lalpir Power led the ready market with 108.91 million shares traded, closing at Rs24.33. PIA Holding Company remained highly active with 37.83 million shares and closed at Rs41.61. PTCL followed with 34.47 million shares at Rs43.92.
Among the major price movers, Service Industries Limited surged by Rs157.80 to close at Rs1,735.80, while PIA Holding Company LimitedB jumped Rs145.67 to close at Rs24,379.00. Unilever Pakistan Foods recorded the steepest decline, dropping Rs382.33 to Rs28,542.67, followed by Pakistan Services Limited, which fell Rs95.55 to Rs1,331.50.
Sectoral performance reflected a mix of gains and marginal declines across key business segments. The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 24,224.45 after gaining 35.31 points or 0.15 percent, with a turnover of 3.68 million shares. The BR Cement Index finished at 13,523.94, rising 106.58 points or 0.79 percent on a strong turnover of 55.55 million shares.
The BR Commercial Banks Index closed at 49,195.96, down 29.36 points or 0.06 percent, with 38.16 million shares traded. In contrast, the BR Power Generation and Distribution Index advanced to 26,149.14, gaining 77.65 points or 0.30 percent on an impressive 158.09 million shares.
The BR Oil and Gas Index also posted gains, closing at 14,344.09 after rising 29.81 points or 0.21 percent with a turnover of 23.62 million shares. Meanwhile, the BR Tech & Communication Index saw a slight decline, closing at 3,917.45 after losing 1.22 points or 0.03 percent, though it remained among the most active sectors of the day with 86.39 million shares traded.
Analysts observe that overall, Thursday’s session demonstrated a welcome recovery in market sentiment, supported by renewed investor confidence, sectoral strength, and improving turnover dynamics following the prior day’s heavy institutional selling.
