By Recorder Report

Copyright brecorder

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended on a bearish note Monday as investors opted for profit-taking after last week’s robust rally dragging the index down.

The benchmark KSE-100 index fell 482.71 points, or 0.31 percent, to close at 157,554.66 points compared to the previous session’s 158,037.37 points. The benchmark index swung sharply, touching an intraday high of 158,850.34 points before succumbing to selling pressure and hitting a low of 157,245.73, eventually settling near its lower levels.

On Monday, the BRIndex100 settled at 16,266.64 points, down 49.08 points, or 0.3 percent, from the previous close, with a total turnover of 1.39 billion shares. In contrast, the BRIndex30 finished at 52,647.40 points, gaining 303.89 points, or 0.58 percent, with a trading volume of over 1.01 billion shares.

According to Topline Securities, the local bourse kicked off the rollover week on a volatile footing, as profit-taking spells weighed on investor sentiment.

Investor participation remained broad-based with 483 companies traded, 209 closing higher, 252 ending in the red, and 22 remaining unchanged.

Trading volumes in the ready market stood at 1.66 billion shares, down from 2.04 billion shares in the previous session, while traded value fell to Rs60.90 billion from Rs69.27 billion. Market capitalization declined by nearly Rs 11.8 billion, closing at Rs 18.562 trillion compared to Rs 18.574 trillion in the previous session, reflecting mild profit-taking pressure in blue-chip stocks.

K-Electric Ltd. topped the volume chart with over 236 million shares traded to close at Rs 6.11. Cnergyico PK followed with 158.7 million shares to finish at Rs 8.54. Bank of Punjab saw heavy trading with 126.7 million shares, slipping to Rs25.98.

On the gainers’ board, PIA Holding Company Limited surged Rs431.62 to close at Rs24,801.15, while Supernet Technologies Limited advanced Rs107.50 to finish at Rs1,182.52. Major losers included Khyber Textile Mills, down Rs91.32 to Rs2,251.50, and Rafhan Maize Products, which dropped Rs47.10 to Rs9,542.07 on profit-taking.

The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 25,365.93 points, up 198.41 points or 0.79 percent, with a total turnover of 5.04 million shares. The BR Cement Index ended at 13,426.39 points, down 115.5 points or 0.85 percent, on a turnover of 67.33 million shares. The BR Commercial Banks Index settled at 44,790.15 points, losing 679.29 points or 1.49 percent, with 199.02 million shares traded.

Meanwhile, the BR Power Generation and Distribution Index rose to 27,101.58 points, gaining 411.09 points or 1.54 percent, on a turnover of 261.53 million shares. The BR Oil and Gas Index advanced to 13,950.04 points, up 165.55 points or 1.20 percent, with 64.98 million shares traded. The BR Technology and Communication Index also closed higher at 3,679.30 points, increasing 27.66 points or 0.76 percent, with a robust turnover of 242.09 million shares.

Some analysts observed that the decline was a healthy correction after last week’s sharp upward run, with investors booking gains in key banking, cement, and oil stocks. They added that buying interest is likely to re-emerge at lower levels, and the KSE-100 could consolidate before attempting to cross the 160,000-point mark again — provided external factors such as global oil prices and the rupee’s stability remain supportive.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025