The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed Friday’s session with a fractional gain, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index edged up by 20.64 points, or 0.02%, to settle at 120,023.23. The modest increase capped off a volatile trading week, as market participants navigated a mix of corporate earnings, sector-specific developments, and persistent regional geopolitical concerns.
Throughout the day, the index experienced a wide trading range of 956.71 points. It touched an intraday high of 120,828.86, reflecting a gain of 826.27 points at one stage, but also dipped to a low of 119,872.15, shedding 130.44 points during the session. The significant intraday swings reflected indecisiveness among investors as optimism in early trading gave way to selective profit-taking later in the day.
The total volume for the KSE-100 Index stood at 136.80 million shares, signaling relatively moderate activity. Among the 100 index-listed companies, 47 closed in the green, 51 ended lower, while one remained unchanged and one went untraded.
Top-performing stocks included YOUW, which rose by 5.80%, followed by TPLRF1 with a 5.08% increase. EFUG, IBFL, and Maple Leaf Cement (MLCF) also posted healthy gains of 3.61%, 3.42%, and 2.40% respectively. These gains reflected scattered buying in select mid-cap and cement sector stocks that have shown resilience amid broader market uncertainty.
On the downside, significant losses were observed in stocks such as PKGP, which plunged 10.00%, TRG Pakistan dropped 8.28%, BNWM shed 7.94%, MUGHAL declined 6.88%, and PSEL fell by 4.80%. These stocks faced investor pressure either due to company-specific developments or general sectoral weakness.
In terms of index contribution, HUBC added the most with 42.13 points, followed by Systems Ltd (SYS) with 34.42 points, United Bank Limited (UBL) with 33.49 points, Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC) with 21.50 points, and MLCF contributing 19.11 points.
Conversely, the biggest drags on the index came from PKGP, which knocked off 60.75 points, TRG Pakistan with a 38.53-point negative impact, Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) with 25.38 points, PSEL with 24.55 points, and Engro Fertilizer (EFERT) reducing the index by 19.64 points.
Sector-wise, Cement led the way, adding 44.40 points to the index. Oil & Gas Exploration Companies followed with 40.46 points, supported by gains in global crude oil benchmarks. Commercial Banks added 21.12 points, Oil & Gas Marketing Companies 15.56 points, and Investment Banks/Investment Companies/Securities Companies chipped in 15.03 points. However, the Fertilizer sector dragged the index down by 47.80 points, while Miscellaneous, Power Generation, Technology, and Leather sectors also posted negative contributions.
On the broader market front, the All-Share Index closed at 74,956.94 with a net gain of 64.82 points or 0.09%. Total market volume stood at 421.64 million shares, a noticeable decline from the previous session’s 604.54 million. Traded value was recorded at Rs15.65 billion, reflecting a sharp drop of Rs4.79 billion.
Market observers remain cautious heading into the coming week. While the index held above the 120,000-point level, its narrow gain signals fragile sentiment. Analysts expect investor focus to remain tethered to regional developments and upcoming macroeconomic data that could provide fresh direction to equities.