The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended Wednesday’s session marginally higher as investors moved cautiously through a volatile trading day.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 120.30 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 168,580.40.
The index remained under pressure in early trading and fell to an intraday low of 168,065.86. It later recovered and climbed to a high of 169,271.98 before giving up most of its gains towards the close.
Market activity remained strong, with 586.86 million shares changing hands on the all-share index. Trading value rose to Rs22.37 billion from Rs20.14 billion in the previous session.
K-Electric led the volume chart with 82.66 million shares, followed by Cnergyico PK with 68.76 million and Pak Refinery with 44.14 million.
A total of 501 companies traded during the session. Of these, 272 closed higher, 184 fell and 45 remained unchanged.
Topline Securities said investors remained cautious as international oil prices moved higher, limiting momentum in the local market.
UBL, Systems Limited, Pakistan State Oil, Pakistan Telecommunication Company and K-Electric were among the main stocks supporting the index. Together, they added around 300 points.
On the other hand, Mari Petroleum, Meezan Bank, Lucky Cement, Hub Power Company and Oil and Gas Development Company weighed on the benchmark, collectively taking away about 187 points.
The session came a day after the market posted a strong recovery. The KSE-100 had jumped 2,592.79 points, or 1.56 percent, on Tuesday after investors returned to the market following the previous session’s sharp sell-off.
Global developments also kept investors alert on Wednesday. Asian equities came under some pressure even as major US stock indices reached fresh highs.
The MSCI Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan was down around 0.3 percent in Asian trading. The S&P 500 had gained about 0.6 percent on Tuesday, while the Nasdaq rose 0.45 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5 percent.
Oil prices also remained a key concern for investors. US crude rose around 1.05 percent to $90.38 a barrel, while Brent gained about 1.06 percent to $101.65.
Higher oil prices can put pressure on Pakistan’s import bill and external account, making movements in global crude prices an important factor for local investors.
The rupee, meanwhile, extended its recent gains against the US dollar. It closed at 277.02 in the interbank market, strengthening by three paisas.
In another development, the Federal Board of Revenue informed the International Monetary Fund that 1,016 retailers and shopkeepers had filed returns under the Aasan Tax Scheme.
Despite Wednesday’s limited gain, the KSE-100 remains below its recent 52-week high of 191,032.73. The index has gained 1.45 percent over the past year but remains down 3.14 percent since the start of 2026.
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