Shafaqna Pakistan: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining 546 points, or 0.31 per cent, to settle at 176,094 points.
Trading activity remained moderate, with benchmark volume reaching 210 million shares. According to Ahmed Sheraz of KASB KTrade, CNERGY led the volume chart with 50 million shares traded, followed by PIBTL with 21 million shares and KEL with 14 million shares.
Despite the overall gain, market performance remained mixed across individual stocks. ENGROH, HBL, LUCK, BAHL and AKBL were the biggest contributors to the index’s advance, while the commercial banking, investment banking, cement and textile sectors provided the strongest support to the market.
Meanwhile, oil prices remained broadly stable compared to yesterday. Brent crude traded in the US$86 to US$87/bbl range for most of the session before rebounding to around US$89 to US$90/bbl later in the day. The late recovery in oil prices coincided with some profit-taking during the final trading hour, reflecting the typical Friday risk reduction ahead of the weekend.
Looking ahead, investor sentiment is likely to remain cautious at the start of next week as participants monitor geopolitical developments over the weekend, particularly the US-Iran situation. Any positive headlines could support market sentiment on Monday, while renewed tensions may keep investors defensive.
Source: Dunya News
