The Pakistan Stock Exchange experienced a notable downturn in investor activity on Thursday, with both trading volumes and the value of shares exchanged contracting sharply, even as the benchmark KSE-100 index posted a substantial gain to close in positive territory.
The KSE-100 index, a key barometer of the market, advanced by 654.90 points, or 0.35 per cent, to conclude the session at 187,688.16. Throughout the trading day, the index fluctuated between a high of 188,106.82 and a low of 186,825.62.
Similarly, the KSE-30 index registered an increase, climbing 224.59 points, a 0.39 per cent rise, to finish at 57,478.24 against the previous day”s close of 57,253.65.
The decline in market participation was evident in the regular market turnover, which fell to 1,069,313,641 shares from the 1,325,597,101 shares traded in the prior session.
The traded value saw a more pronounced reduction, plummeting to PKR 49,155,101,680 from the PKR 69,582,920,853 recorded on the preceding day.
Despite the diminished trading activity, the overall market capitalisation appreciated, growing to PKR 21,185,008,570,307 from PKR 21,133,658,329,762, reflecting the general increase in share prices.
Activity in other market segments, including Deliverable Futures Contracts (DFC), also demonstrated a similar trend of reduced volumes and values compared to the previous day’s figures.