Stocks hit fresh peak
The benchmark KSE-100 Index surged 1,547.05 points, or 1.06 percent, to close at 146,929.84 compared with the previous session's 145,382.80. During the day, the index touched an intraday peak of 147,005.18 and a low of 145,258.50, underscoring the market's strong upward momentum.
The BRIndex100 settled at 15,072.82, up 154.70 points or 1.04 percent, with a total turnover of 455.38 million shares. The BRIndex30 also rose 291.11 points, or 0.69 percent, to close at 42,625.38, with 249.68 million shares traded.
According to Topline Securities, the rally was fuelled by a potent mix of positive news flow and earnings surprises, with heavyweight stocks MARI, BAHL, OGDC, MEBL, and MCB collectively contributing 959 points to the KSE-100's advance. Sentiment was further buoyed by speculation over strategic U.S. corporate inflows into Pakistan's energy sector, which many investors saw as a signal of renewed foreign confidence in the economy.
Market activity remained vibrant, with ready market volumes swelling to 611.20 million shares worth Rs44.00 billion, compared with 548.05 million shares valued at Rs45.48 billion in the previous session. Market capitalization jumped to Rs17.53 trillion from Rs17.34 trillion, adding nearly Rs187 billion in investor wealth.
Lotte Chemical topped the volume chart with 73.28 million shares traded, followed by Siddiqsons Tin at 21.15 million and Invest Bank at 19.98 million. Among major gainers, Mari Energies Limited rallied Rs47.52 to Rs666.05, while Thal Limited advanced Rs45.53 to Rs500.78. On the flip side, Unilever Pakistan Foods dropped Rs906.49 to Rs32,100.01, and PIA Holding Company LimitedB fell Rs536.51 to Rs28,843.15.
Advancers outpaced decliners in the ready market by 242 to 209, with 28 stocks unchanged out of 479 active scrips.
The BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 23,484.83, up 113.66 points or 0.49 percent, on 2.37 million shares. The BR Cement Index gained 91.99 points, or 0.82 percent, to settle at 11,358.97 with 29.38 million shares traded.
The BR Commercial Banks Index surged 796.13 points, or 1.87 percent, to 43,334.68 on 63.53 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index rose 116.79 points, or 0.51 percent, to 22,861.72 with 26.96 million shares.
The BR Oil and Gas Index climbed 324.83 points, or 2.48 percent, to 13,404.46 on a turnover of 55.03 million shares. In contrast, the BR Technology & Communication Index slipped 17.28 points, or 0.52 percent, to 3,297.46 with 42.90 million shares changing hands.
According to Ahsan Mehanti, Analyst at Arif Habib Corporation, stocks closed at a new all-time high amid strong financial results and speculation over a positive outcome from U.S. investments under the Pak–U.S. trade deal. He added that record remittances of $3.2 billion in July 2025, rupee stability, and expectations for higher exports due to the India–U.S. tariff conflict acted as catalysts for the record bullish close at the PSX.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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