The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a strong recovery on Wednesday, with investors returning to the market after two straight sessions of losses.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index opened on a positive note and quickly moved higher as buying activity spread across major sectors. By 10:05am, the index had gained 652.68 points to reach 178,345.60.
The rally gathered pace during the session, with the market climbing to an intraday high of 178,902.94 points. At around 11:46am, the benchmark index was up 1,210.02 points at 178,902.94, while trading volume crossed 207.5 million shares.
As of 12:04pm, the KSE-100 Index was trading at 178,849.54, showing a gain of 1,156.62 points, or 0.65 percent, from Tuesday’s close of 177,692.92. Total traded volume had risen to more than 218.4 million shares.
Investor interest remained concentrated in automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing firms and power generation stocks. Major index-heavy companies, including KE, Mari Energies, OGDC, POL, PPL, HBL, MCB, NBP and UBL, traded in positive territory, helping lift the benchmark index.
Among the most actively traded stocks were K-Electric, Pakistan International Bulk Terminal, Pak Elektron, WorldCall Telecom, The Organic Meat Company, SSGC, Maple Leaf Cement, First National Equities, Trust Securities and PIA Holding Company Limited.
On the gainers’ side, several stocks posted sharp advances, with GCWL Rights, MZNP ETF, First MicroFinance Bank, JATM and ASC among the strongest performers. Meanwhile, INKL, FFLM, KCL and several other shares remained under selling pressure and featured among the day’s biggest decliners.
The market’s rebound comes a day after the PSX ended lower amid investor caution linked to regional geopolitical developments. On Tuesday, the KSE-100 Index lost 778.95 points, or 0.44 percent, extending losses for a second consecutive session.
Global markets, however, remained mixed. Asian equities struggled for direction after a technology-led sell-off on Wall Street, where concerns over growing artificial intelligence spending and expectations of a potentially tougher US Federal Reserve stance weighed on sentiment. The Nasdaq fell 2.2 percent overnight, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.4 percent.
Meanwhile, oil prices remained under pressure near multi-month lows as traders monitored increasing tanker movements through the Strait of Hormuz, easing concerns about potential supply disruptions.
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