KARACHI: Equities at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed the week’s final session on a high note as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it will support formulating a new economic programme for the country if the new government seeks one.

During Friday’s trading session, the benchmark KSE-100 index gained throughout the day, with both the volume and value of shares surging compared to the previous session.

The index closed at 65,794 points, up by 0.3 per cent, or 190.7 points. The major positive contributions to the index came from Dawood Hercules Corporation Ltd, Engro Fertilisers Ltd, Pakistan Services Ltd, Shell Pakis­tan Ltd, and National Refinery Ltd, which collectively contributed 175 points to the index.

Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said the rally of dollar bonds to the March 2022 peak, upbeat data on the trade deficit shrinking by 30.2 per cent year-on-year for July-February, and strong rupee recovery also played a catalyst role in the bullish close at the PSX.

Investor participation increased on a day-on-day basis, with traded volume rising 36pc to 481.7 million shares and traded value jumping 18pc to around Rs17 billion.

K-Electric was today’s volume leader, with 59m shares changing hands during Friday’s session. This interest in the company can be attributed to news that the mediation process between K-Electric and government entities has started.

The KSE-100 index increased by 0.7pc on a week-on-week basis as the market reacted positively to the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Ministry of Finance to make preparations for holding crucial talks with the IMF, according to Topline Securities.

The average traded volume and value during the week stood at 425m shares and Rs16.5bn, respectively.

Stocks contributing significantly to the traded volume included K-Ele­ctric (59.08m shares), Cne­rgyico (51.47m shar­es), Kohinoor Spinning (45.95m shares), Telecard Ltd (32.68m shares), and Pakistan Refinery (31.49m shares).

Shares registering the biggest increases in their share prices in absolute terms were Nestle Pakis­tan (Rs160), Pakistan Services Ltd (Rs29.99), Mehmood Textile (Rs27.83), Sazgar Engineering (Rs22.78), and National Refinery (Rs19.52).

Companies registering the biggest decreases in their share prices in absolute terms were Rafhan Maize (-Rs345), Premier Sugar Mills (-Rs23.75), Hoechst Pak (-Rs20), Bata Pakistan (-Rs18.50), and Lucky Core Industries (-Rs14.43).

Foreign investors remained net sellers as they offloaded shares worth $0.2m.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2024