RECORDER REPORT
KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed the week with a strong showing, driven by sustained investor confidence and targeted institutional buying, as equities surged toward a new historical milestone. The benchmark KSE-100 Index ended at 169,864.53 points, posting a net gain of 1,289.84 points or 0.77 percent from Thursday’s close of 168,574.69. The session opened with strong momentum, briefly crossing the 170,000 mark during intraday trade to hit a high of 170,052.88. However, as the week concluded, strategic profit-taking by weekly traders seeking to square positions ahead of the weekend pulled the index slightly back to settle just below that milestone.
The BRIndex100 rose 151.29 points or 0.85 percent to close at 17,934.60, on a total volume of 660.23 million shares. Meanwhile, the BRIndex30 ended at 58,301.95, gaining 475.08 points or 0.82 percent on 290.46 million shares traded.
Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd., said the market’s net gain reflected concentrated buying in heavyweight sectors that countered the day’s strategic selling. Key movers including FFC, MCB, SYS, PPL, and HUBC collectively contributed 784 points to the index, while selling pressure in SRVI, ENGROH, DHPL, JVDC, and DGKC shaved off 130 points.
The strong momentum translated into a substantial rise in investor wealth, lifting overall Regular Market capitalization to Rs19.321 trillion, up over Rs104 billion from the previous day’s Rs19.217 trillion.
Despite the price surge, market liquidity contracted. Total turnover in the Regular Market fell to 873 million shares, and traded value dropped sharply to Rs40.87 billion.
Among heavy volume stocks, Hum Network (HUMNL) led with 71.84 million shares traded, closing at Rs14.88. Dost Steels Ltd followed with 46.9 million shares at Rs8.14, while WorldCall Telecom traded 4.81 million shares, finishing at Rs1.83.
In terms of price performance, Hoechst Pakistan Ltd stood out, surging 428.27 points to close at Rs4,711.61, followed by PIA Holding Company Limited-B, which rose Rs159.5 to close at Rs24,196.00. Conversely, Service Industries Ltd and Khyber Textile Mills Ltd fell Rs57.43 and Rs53.02, closing at Rs1,550.81 and Rs1,972.51, respectively.
Market breadth remained positive, with 259 advancing companies, 180 declining, and 43 unchanged among 482 active stocks in the Regular Market.
Sector performance was led by the BR Tech & Comm Index, which surged 65.32 points (1.61%) to 4,114.43 on a turnover of 165.67 million shares, reflecting strong investor appetite for digital growth stories. The BR Cement Index gained 143.59 points (1.02%) to close at 14,223.52.
Meanwhile, BR Power Generation & Distribution rose 235.3 points (0.87%) to 27,206.89, BR Commercial Banks swelled 310.9 points (0.63%) and BR Oil & Gas also went up by 98.93 points (0.68%). In contrast, the BR Automobile Assembler Index remained flat at 24,130.56, indicating a pause in investor interest in the sector.
Looking ahead, Ali Najib said consolidation around the 170,000 level is expected to reach a decisive outcome next week. A breakout above this barrier could unlock new highs, while weakening momentum may see 167,000–168,000 act as key support for the next consolidation phase.
