PSX closes March above 67,000

WEB DESK: The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s KSE-100 index, the benchmark stock market indicator, closed Friday’s trading session at 67,005.11, indicating a slight decline of 137.02 points, or 0.2 per cent.

Throughout the day, the index fluctuated within a range of 485.21 points, reaching a high of 67,307.63 and a low of 66,822.43. Trading activity saw a total volume of 142.211 million shares.

Despite the day’s dip, the index has shown a robust quarterly performance, gaining 4,554 points, or 7.3 per cent. Among the 100 index companies, 39 ended the day with gains and 53 with losses, while 4 remained unchanged and 4 were not traded.

Sector-wise, the Technology & Communication, Power Generation & Distribution, Oil & Gas Exploration Companies, Fertiliser, and Cement sectors contributed to the index’s decline, while the Chemical, Textile Composite, Tobacco, Commercial Banks, and Paper & Board sectors provided support.

Notable contributors to the index’s decline included FFC, HUBC, BAFL, TRG, and OGDC, while companies like ENGRO, MCB, MEBL, ILP, and COLG added points to the index.

In the broader market, the All-Share index closed at 44,562.88, recording a net gain of 92.56 points. Total market volume stood at 313.035 million shares, with a traded value of Rs9.90 billion, indicating a decrease from the previous session.

Trading activity included 139,935 reported trades across 341 companies, with 134 closing higher, 188 lower, and 19 unchanged.

It’s worth noting that the KSE-100 index has seen substantial gains over the fiscal year, rising by 25,552 points, or 61.64 per cent, while the ongoing calendar year has witnessed an increase of 4,554 points, equivalent to 7.29 per cent.