The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a notable recovery on Thursday after a weak start to the session, with investors gradually returning to the market following heavy losses in the previous trading day.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index opened in negative territory and remained under pressure during early trade. By 9:33am, the index had dropped 745.19 points to 168,682.25, while trading activity remained subdued with volume standing at 1.29 million shares.
Selling pressure persisted through the morning, although the market showed signs of stabilising as investors assessed fresh opportunities after Wednesday’s sharp decline. By around 11:33am, the index had managed to claw back its losses and moved into positive territory, gaining 396.64 points to reach 169,824.08. Market participation also improved significantly, with traded volume rising to 57.31 million shares.
The recovery gathered momentum in the following half hour as buying interest strengthened across selected counters. At 12:07pm, the KSE-100 Index had advanced by 710.74 points to touch 170,138.18, marking the day’s highest level so far. Volume at that stage had climbed to 80.27 million shares.
As of 12:09pm, the benchmark index stood at 170,114.89, up 687.45 points, or 0.41 percent, from the previous close. Total traded volume had reached 80.87 million shares.
Thursday’s intraday performance highlighted the market’s volatile nature, with the index swinging between a low of 168,682.25 and a high of 170,138.18. The benchmark had settled at 169,427.44 in the previous session.
Despite the latest rebound, the KSE-100 Index remains down 2.26 percent since the start of the year. However, on a year-on-year basis, the market has still delivered gains of 36.80 percent, underlining the longer-term strength seen in Pakistani equities.
Over the past 52 weeks, the benchmark index has traded within a wide range, touching a low of 115,887.49 and climbing to an all-time high of 191,032.73.
Active stocks
Among the most actively traded stocks during the session were First National Equities Limited (FNEL), KOSM, LOADS, TPL Properties REIT Fund I (TPLRF1), TPL Properties (TPLP), Waves Home Appliances (WAVESAPP), Maple Leaf Cement Factory (MLCF), OBOY, WorldCall Telecom (WTL) and TPL Corp (TPL).
On the gainers’ board, FFLM led the advances with a rise of 10.03 percent, followed by DAAG, ELCM, KOHTM, CPPL, FSWL, TSML and ZTL, all of which posted gains close to the upper circuit limit. OBOY and PPVC also featured among the day’s strongest performers.
Meanwhile, losses were seen in several counters, with ANLNV emerging as the top decliner after falling 10.12 percent. Other stocks under pressure included IDRT, ARMG, POWERPS, BRRG, NEXT, SAPT, PIM, GEMMEL and AMBL.
Previous close
The recovery comes a day after the KSE-100 Index erased earlier gains to close 903.12 points lower on Wednesday. The previous session had been marked by cautious investor sentiment and broad-based selling, particularly in banking, energy and technology stocks.
For investors, Thursday’s turnaround offered a reminder of how quickly sentiment can shift on the PSX. While the market remains susceptible to short-term swings, the return of buying interest after a weak opening suggests that participants continue to view dips as opportunities in selected sectors.
