KARACHI: The benchmark KSE-100 index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rose 421.57 points, or 0.25 per cent, on Tuesday to close at 171,021.77, up from the previous close of 170,600.2.
The market closed higher despite profit-taking erasing early gains. A decline in oil prices supported the market sentiment. The index touched an intraday high of 171,856.36 and a low of 170,248.47 during the session. The KSE-30 index gained 158.45 points to settle at 51,134.36.
Ali Najib, deputy head of trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the PSX witnessed a mixed session. The market opened on a buoyant note amid growing expectations of a potential US–Iran peace deal in the coming days. However, profit-taking at higher levels erased early gains.
“The US-Iran diplomatic front remains a key market catalyst. Signs of regional de-escalation are supporting investor confidence, although uncertainty surrounding a lasting agreement continues to fuel market volatility,” he said.
Ready market volumes eased to 550.79 million shares, down 6.61 per cent from the prior session, while traded value fell 14.2 per cent to Rs27.44 billion. Market capitalisation edged up 0.34 per cent to Rs18.94 trillion.
Market breadth was mixed, with 221 shares advancing, 226 declining and 41 closing unchanged out of the total 488.
The Thal Industries Corporation led the gainers, rising Rs84.7 to close at Rs931.72, followed by Nestle Pakistan, which added Rs56.29 to end at Rs7,702. On the losing side, PIA Holding Company shed Rs333.9 to settle at Rs17,612, while Khairpur Sugar Mills fell Rs267.24 to close at Rs2,405.12.
Naveed Nadeem, senior equity trader at Topline Securities Limited, said market confidence strengthened primarily due to the decline in international oil prices, which provided support to investor sentiment and encouraged buying activity across key sectors.
The positive market performance was largely driven by heavyweight stocks, including MEBL, FFC, UBL, PTC and PPL, which collectively contributed approximately 460 points to the benchmark index.
WorldCall Telecom led the volumes chart with 42.98 million shares as it firmed one paisa to Rs1.29, followed by Treet Battery with 41.01 million shares as it rose one rupee to Rs10.82. Other actively traded stocks included Dewan Cement, Oilboy Energy, TRG Pak Ltd, Treet Corp, Itanz Technologies, PTCL, Cres Star Ins and Bank of Punjab.
In the futures market, 310 companies were traded, of which 161 advanced, 142 declined and seven closed unchanged.
