PSX retreats again from 180,000 mark

ISLAMABAD BUREAU —The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a bearish session on Thursday as investors resorted to profit-taking after the benchmark KSE-100 index briefly crossed the 180,000-point mark intra-day, shedding over 1,700 points to close near 177,375 amid broad-based selling pressure in heavyweight stocks.

At the close of trading, the KSE-100 index fell 1,710.04 points, or 0.95%, and settled at 177,373.76. Arif Habib Limited's (AHL) trading floor note termed the day a session of consolidation at the PSX, with the KSE-100 falling 0.95% after briefly touching the 180,000 level. Market breadth was negative, as only 16 stocks advanced while 83 declined.

MARI, MTL and GHNI provided the largest positive contribution, while UBL, LUCK and HUBC were the biggest drags. The AHL note also highlighted policy and corporate developments: the government anticipated measures in its 2026-31 auto policy to lift exports by assemblers and parts makers, with a five-year target of $6 billion; ATRL was added to the MSCI FM Standard Index while FLYING and PAKOXT left the MSCI Small Cap Index; and car sales rose sharply to 21,635 units in October from 10,939 in September, bringing the year-to-date total to 63,507 units.

"Heading into the final session of the week, the index stood 2.01% higher, with support seen at 174,000-175,000 and an upside objective near 182,500," AHL said. Domestically, rising political tensions surrounding the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment added to market uncertainty. With Friday marking the last trading session of the week and clarity still missing on multiple fronts, cautious sentiment and further selling pressure may persist unless positive developments emerge, as per Ahmed Sheraz of KASB KTrade.

Topline's market review stated that the PSX witnessed a bearish trading session on Thursday, as selling pressure weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark KSE-100 index declined 1,710 points (-0.95%) to close at 177,374, reflecting cautious investor positioning and profit-taking across the market.

Investor interest remained subdued amid broad-based selling pressure, with market participants adopting a cautious stance following the recent rally. The decline reflected profit-taking and weakness in key index-heavy stocks. UBL, FFC, HUBC, LUCK and SYS emerged as the leading negative contributors, collectively shaving approximately 931 points off the benchmark index, Topline added.

Overall trading volume was recorded at 1.07 billion shares compared with the previous session's tally of 1.25 billion. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs31.64 billion. Shares of 500 companies were traded in the ready market. Of these, 155 stocks closed higher, 316 fell, and 29 remained unchanged.

WorldCall Telecom was the volume leader with trading in 190.62 million shares, gaining Rs0.03 to close at Rs1.25. It was followed by Tasdeeq Information with 147.36 million shares, losing Rs0.31 to close at Rs5.93, and First National Equities with 55.34 million shares, gaining Rs0.03 to close at Rs1.23.

Foreign investors bought shares worth Rs361 million, the National Clearing Company reported.