Profit-Taking Drives PSX Down by Over 1,000 Points

The benchmark KSE-100 index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) lost 1073.73 points on Tuesday to close at 108,896.65 points, down almost one percent over the previous closing.    In a note, Brokerage house Topline Securities highlighted that the benchmark index experienced a volatile trading session as it oscillated within a massive 4,000-point range.  Topline highlighted that the session began on a bullish note, driven by robust buying interest in key sectors following encouraging macroeconomic developments.   However, the gains were short-lived as investors opted to lock in profits, especially in heavyweight sectors, leading to a sharp intraday decline. Despite the turbulence, the market managed to close off its lows, signaling underlying investor confidence, it added.  Concerns surrounding the Advance-to-Deposit Ratio (ADR) saw BAHL, MCB, UBL, and BAFL facing the brunt of the pressure, ultimately closing in negative territory.  Major contributors to the index’s surge were MARI, LUCK, ATRL, SYS, and SEARL, which collectively added 508 points. On the flip side, UBL, BAHL, MCB, EFERT, and ENGRO dragged the index down, collectively losing 629 points, the brokerage house said.  A total of 1,548,302,320 shares were traded during the day as compared to 1,597,868,204 shares the previous trading day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs. 68.805 billion against Rs. 60.251 billion on the last trading day.   A total of 468 companies transacted their shares in the stock market, 105 of them advanced gains and 158 declined, whereas the share price of 34 companies remained unchanged.