Overview
- The KSE-100 rose 1,277.69 points, or 0.80%, to close at 161,935.19 on Friday after touching an intraday peak near 162,119.
- Buying concentrated in banks, cement, oil and gas, power and energy heavyweights, with Habib Bank, United Bank, Maple Leaf Cement, Oil and Gas Development Company, Pakistan Petroleum, Hub Power and Pioneer Cement among key contributors.
- Cement shares drew additional interest after Maple Leaf Cement disclosed plans to acquire a controlling stake in Pioneer Cement, a move that would require regulatory approvals.
- Trading value held steady while volumes eased to about 673.5 million shares, and market capitalization increased to roughly Rs18.43 trillion.
- Foreign investors were net sellers of around Rs785 million, and analysts highlighted light participation, a weekly SPI increase, regional tensions with Afghanistan and the pending IMF tranche decision as near-term risks.