The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a challenging trading session on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index closing at 111,487.36, reflecting a decrease of 543.00 points, or 0.48%. Despite seeing a range of movement throughout the day, the market ultimately closed in the red.
The KSE-100 Index traded within a span of 1,412.71 points, reaching an intraday high of 112,569.89 (+539.53) and a low of 111,157.18 (-873.18). The day’s trading saw a total volume of 201.92 million shares, with 28 of the 100 index companies closing up, 69 closing down, 2 remaining unchanged, and 1 remaining untraded.
In terms of the top losers during the session, POML led the decline with a loss of 4.02%, followed by PTC which fell by 3.87%, HGFA down by 3.74%, ISL which lost 3.67%, and MUGHAL dropping 3.29%. On the flip side, MARI showed the largest gains, rising by 5.14%, while PGLC gained 4.05%, CNERGY was up by 2.31%, ABL increased by 2.22%, and KEL moved up by 2.00%.
Looking at the individual contributors to the index’s decline, FFC was the biggest drag, shedding 262.40 points, followed by EFERT (-58.24pts), PSO (-53.62pts), MCB (-53.38pts), and HUBC (-48.88pts). On the other hand, MARI contributed positively to the index, adding 208.38 points, with ENGROH contributing +25.92 points, NBP +19.32 points, INDU +17.99 points, and UBL adding 14.44 points.
Sector-wise, the KSE-100 Index faced the heaviest losses in the Fertilizer sector, which dropped by 326.05 points, followed by Commercial Banks (-121.63pts), Cement (-87.64pts), Oil & Gas Marketing Companies (-71.95pts), and Power Generation & Distribution (-45.50pts). However, the index received some support from the Oil & Gas Exploration sector (+201.94pts), Automobile Assemblers (+17.93pts), Investment Banks/Securities Companies (+17.03pts), Miscellaneous (+8.88pts), and Automobile Parts & Accessories (+3.43pts).
In the broader market, the All-Share Index closed at 69,018.85, down by 160.57 points, or 0.23%. The total market volume for the day was recorded at 449.24 million shares, showing a decrease from the previous session’s 517.80 million shares. The traded value for the day was Rs28.19 billion, which reflected a decrease of Rs1.02 billion compared to the previous session.
The market saw a total of 296,947 trades across 447 companies, with 138 closing in the green, 246 closing in the red, and 63 remaining unchanged.
Among the top ten stocks by volume, CNERGY led the pack with a volume of 31,197,761 shares, followed by KEL with 29,670,310 shares. Other notable volume leaders included CPHL (25,413,292 shares), DFML (24,726,221 shares), and WTL (20,794,723 shares). In terms of price movements, DFML saw a notable surge, rising 7.84%, while WTL dropped by 0.59%, and SSGC experienced a more significant fall of 4.56%.
It is worth noting that the KSE-100 Index has gained 33,042 points, or 42.12%, during the ongoing fiscal year. However, the index has experienced a decline of 3,640 points, or 3.16%, so far this calendar year.
Overall, the session on January 29 was marked by mixed performance, with key sectors facing pressure, but some individual stocks managing to buck the trend. Investors will likely be looking ahead to upcoming economic indicators and corporate earnings reports for further guidance on the market’s direction.