The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended Wednesday’s session on a positive note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining 515.01 points, or 0.42%, to settle at 122,761.64. Despite volatile swings throughout the day, investor sentiment remained largely optimistic, driven by strong performances from the banking and cement sectors.
The index fluctuated within a wide intraday range of 1,087.79 points, recording a high of 123,256.55 and a low of 122,168.76. Trading activity was relatively strong, with the KSE-100 Index posting a total volume of 221.15 million shares. Out of 100 listed companies in the index, 55 closed in the green, 41 ended in the red, three remained unchanged, while one company saw no trading activity.
Leading the charge on the gainers’ board were FHAM, which surged by 10.01%, BNWM with a 10.00% rise, HUMNL gaining 9.19%, GHGL climbing 8.81%, and NATF rising by 7.99%. Conversely, the biggest laggards of the session included PGLC which dropped by 6.18%, SAZEW down 3.23%, AGL falling 1.80%, ISL off by 1.77%, and SRVI also losing 1.77%.
Key contributors that helped push the index higher were BAHL, adding 107.97 points; HBL with a 100.27-point contribution; FATIMA up 68.89 points; DGKC with 50.18 points; and NATF contributing 44.83 points.
On the downside, HUBC weighed the index down by 62.79 points, followed by UBL which shaved off 57.16 points, ENGROH down 33.83 points, SAZEW pulling back 25.88 points, and MARI declining by 22.32 points.
From a sectoral perspective, the index was primarily uplifted by Commercial Banks contributing 279.46 points, Cement with 103.85 points, Fertilizer adding 98.76 points, Food & Personal Care Products with 37.75 points, and Glass & Ceramics up by 31.72 points. In contrast, Power Generation & Distribution (-74.38 points), Oil & Gas Exploration (-33.15 points), Automobile Assemblers (-29.91 points), Leather & Tanneries (-13.63 points), and Oil & Gas Marketing Companies (-11.73 points) exerted downward pressure.
The broader All-Share Index also posted gains, closing at 76,639.55 with an increase of 415.66 points or 0.55%. However, total market volume declined slightly to 749.80 million shares, compared to 804.78 million in the previous session. The total traded value dropped to Rs28.03 billion, down Rs9.58 billion from earlier.
Trading was conducted in 471 companies. Among them, 273 ended positive, 161 registered losses, and 37 remained unchanged.
Among the most actively traded stocks, WorldCall Telecom (WTL) led with over 102 million shares, closing at Rs1.49, up 2.05%. Other notable names included PRL, CNERGY, BML, FDPL, HUMNL, PMI, BOP, SSGC, and SLGL — all showing varying levels of trading interest and performance.
With financial and construction-linked stocks providing stability, Wednesday’s session reinforced market optimism despite a drop in overall trade value, highlighting cautious but continued investor engagement.