The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended Friday\u2019s session in the red as investors resorted to profit-taking ahead of the upcoming roll-over week, despite the benchmark index touching a fresh all-time intra-day high earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
“PSX witnessed a profit-taking day today as the market headed into the Roll-over week starting Monday,” said Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd. The KSE-100 Index closed at 171,405 points, down 556 points or 0.32%.<\/p>\n
The day unfolded in two distinct phases. During the morning session, the market extended yesterday\u2019s bullish momentum and recorded a fresh intra-day all-time high of 172,675 points (+714 points; +0.42%). However, sentiment reversed in the afternoon as investors opted to close weekly positions, which weighed on the index and resulted in a negative close.<\/p>\n
On the macro front, the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) increased 3.75% YoY (0.24% WoW), while LSMI output grew 8.3% YoY and 3.7% MoM in Oct\u201925.<\/p>\n
On the corporate side, Lucky Cement informed PSX that its Board has approved participation, as part of a consortium, in the ongoing privatisation process of PIACL. Additionally, MARI\u2019s wholly owned subsidiary, Mari Minerals, entered into a joint venture with Globacore Minerals for mineral exploration in Balochistan.<\/p>\n
Among major movers, LUCK, MEBL, SYS, UBL and SRVI collectively added 389 points, while FFC, HBL, MLCF, BAFL and ENGROH jointly shaved off 408 points.<\/p>\n
Market activity remained moderate, with 796 million shares traded and a total turnover of Rs 42.1 billion. KEL led the volume chart with over 116 million shares.<\/p>\n
PSX wrapped up the week on a positive note, posting a gain of 1,540 points or 0.91%. The KSE-100 Index opened at 170,550, touched a weekly high of 172,675, and recorded a low of 169,231 during the week. The benchmark eventually settled at 171,405.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, with the Roll-over scheduled for next week, the market is likely to face some selling pressure along with increased volatility, as typically observed during this period each month.<\/p>\n
The 170k level remains a key support to sustain the prevailing bullish momentum; a decisive break below this level could trigger a renewed phase of consolidation in the KSE-100 Index.<\/p>\n