Investors remained cautious during the trading week at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, as a result of which the benchmark KSE-100 index closed with minor pressure, however, the KMI-30 showed limited upside.
At the end of the trading session, the KSE-100 index fell by 119.74 points to 181,310.28 points. The index was at 181,989.96 points at the beginning of the session, while it reached a high of 182,347.51 points during the day. The intraday low was recorded at 180,820.23 points.
Overall, the KSE-100 declined by 0.07 percent and the trading volume of shares related to the index was 434.73 million. The index has performed 0.56 percent positively since the beginning of the financial year, while the current calendar year has seen a growth of 4.17 percent so far.
Some big names in the market supported the index. PPL was the most prominent positive contributor, adding 187.12 points to the overall performance of the KSE-100. ATRL, MEBL, OGDC and ENGROH also contributed 107.75, 106.43, 104.50 and 67.57 points respectively.
On the other hand, selling pressure in energy and other large-cap stocks weighed on the overall direction of the market. HUBC had the biggest negative impact of 419.53 points on the KSE-100. FFC, UBL, MARI and LUCK also dragged the index down by 152.78, 79.80, 69.48 and 68.09 points respectively.
The situation was relatively better in the other prominent index, KMI-30. The KMI-30 closed at 255,725.19 points, up 73.46 points. The index opened the session at 256,516.27 points and touched a high of 257,321.49 points during the session, while its low was 254,477.57 points.
The KMI-30 recorded a gain of 0.03 percent and its volume of shares was 167.56 million. The index has performed 0.62 percent negatively since the beginning of the fiscal year, but has gained 2.89 percent during the calendar year.
PPL was also a significant positive contributor in the KMI-30. Its shares added 534.86 points to the index. ATRL added 308.02 points, MEBL added 304.23 points, OGDC added 298.71 points, while ENGROH added 206.02 points.
In contrast, HUBC had the most negative impact on the performance of KMI-30, contributing 1,199.24 points. FFC contributed 295.19 points, MARI 198.62 points, LUCK 194.63 points and SYS 73.13 points.
The data from the trading day shows that on the one hand, there was buying activity in the market, while on the other hand, profit-taking or selling trends in large stocks maintained pressure. That is why the direction of the two major indices did not coincide.
In the current situation, it is important for investors to keep in mind the fundamental financial data of the companies, the overall market trend and economic factors. There is a possibility of price fluctuations in the stock market, therefore, investment decisions should be made based on available information and appropriate financial advice.
