The 100-Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) maintained its upward momentum on Friday, surging by 810.19 points to finish at 83,531.96 points, marking its highest closing level to date.
During the trading session, a total of 381,529,555 shares changed hands, an increase from the 319,879,266 shares traded the previous day. The total value of shares traded reached Rs. 20.523 billion, compared to Rs. 16.414 billion on the last trading day.
Topline Securities, a brokerage firm, noted that the bullish trend was driven by a decrease in yields in the secondary market for government securities (T-Bills and PIBs) and heightened investor interest in the exploration and production sector, particularly following the release of detailed financials from PPL. A key highlight was the improvement in the company’s cash collection ratio, which rose to 81 percent in FY24 from 53 percent in FY23, attributed to an increase in gas prices.
In total, 444 companies participated in the stock market, with 201 recording gains, 167 experiencing losses, and 76 maintaining stable share prices.
The top three trading companies included Pace (Pak) Limited, which traded 59,298,044 shares at Rs. 6.29 per share, Pak Petroleum with 21,636,537 shares at Rs. 118.60 per share, and Kohinoor Spinning, which saw 19,496,228 shares traded at Rs. 8.12 per share.
Hallmark Company Limited experienced the largest increase, with its share price rising by Rs. 91.85 to close at Rs. 1,175.34. Sapphire Fibres Limited followed closely, with a rise of Rs. 79.00, bringing its share price to Rs. 1,349.00.
On the downside, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited recorded the most significant decrease, with a drop of Rs. 87.87, closing at Rs. 17,412.13. ZIL Limited also saw a decline, with its share price falling by Rs. 16.80 to end at Rs. 218.34.