PSX Closing Bell: Misses the Finish Line

Investor sentiment weakened as oil prices climbed after an attack on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz reignited fears of supply disruptions, prompting profit-taking amid renewed geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, after the KSE-100 climbed more than 2,000 points in the previous session.

Selling in index-heavy exploration, fertilizer, and cement stocks outweighed the positive impact of easing energy prices.

The index traded in a range of 1,937.46 points, touching an intraday high of 188,126.67 (+671.98 points) before retreating to a low of 186,189.21 (-1,265.48 points).

The total volume of the KSE-100 Index stood at 395.22 million shares.

Of the 100 index companies, 30 closed higher, 70 closed lower.

Top losers during the day were PTC (-3.19%), PPL (-2.31%), NPL (-2.28%), MLCF (-2.24%), and PIOC (-1.98%).

On the gaining side, IBFL (+10.00%), PGLC (+3.30%), BAHL (+2.54%), ATLH (+1.66%), and PSX (+1.63%) posted the strongest advances.

In terms of index-point contribution, FFC (-144.74pts) led the declines, followed by PPL (-136.71pts), UBL (-134.24pts), OGDC (-121.82pts), and LUCK (-111.73pts).

Meanwhile, companies that lent support to the index were BAHL (+130.00pts), HMB (+21.10pts), IBFL (+16.21pts), PSX (+15.30pts), and NBP (+14.80pts).

Sector-wise, the KSE-100 Index was dragged lower by Oil & Gas Exploration Companies (-351.55pts), Cement (-222.14pts), Fertilizer (-177.93pts), Power Generation & Distribution (-95.71pts), and Technology & Communication (-92.53pts).

Meanwhile, Synthetic & Rayon (+16.21pts), Insurance (+8.22pts), Miscellaneous (+7.62pts), Tobacco (+6.51pts), and Real Estate Investment Trust (+6.36pts) provided limited support.

In the broader market, the All-Share Index settled at 112,499.75, down 698.84 points, or 0.62%.

Overall market activity strengthened, with total traded volume increasing to 984.85 million shares, compared with 888.40 million shares in the previous session, although traded value declined to Rs45.70 billion, down Rs4.28 billion.

A total of 526,920 trades were recorded across 497 companies, of which 191 closed higher, 271 lower, and 35 remained unchanged.