KARACHI: Bulls continued flirting with the 170,000-point barrier for the third straight session on Friday, but failed to settle above the key milestone though they tossed the benchmark index to yet another all-time high closing near this level amid bouts of buying and selling despite plunging volume below one billion mark in the weekend session.

Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the PSX once again attempted to settle above the 170,000-milestone but fell short, with the KSE-100 index closing at 169,864.53 points, up 1,289.83 points or 0.77 per cent.

The session opened strongly as the benchmark carried forward its bullish momentum, however, profit-taking at higher levels pulled the index back below the milestone by the close as traders chose to close their positions ahead of weekend.

On the macro front, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank approved a total of $940 million to Pakistan for reforms in the SOEs, water sector and safely managed water, sanitation and basic hygiene services.

Meanwhile, the IMF’s newly outlined conditions have emphasised strengthening the Federal Board of Revenue and developing a comprehensive tax reform strategy.

Despite a strong rally, the trading volume plunged 32.26pc to 873 million shares while the traded value fell 26pc to Rs40.8bn from the previous session. However, Hum Network led the volume chart with 71.8 million shares changing for the third session in a row.

According to Topline Securities Ltd, the top positive contribution to the index came from Fauji Fertiliser Company, MCB Bank, Systems Ltd, Maple Leaf Cement Factory, Pakistan Petroleum Ltd, Engro Fertiliser, and Hub Power, as they cumulatively contributed 962 points to the index.

Analysts think a settlement above 170,000-milestone next week could unleash new highs. Conversely, if momentum weakens, the 167,000-168,000 level is likely to act as the key support zone, guiding the next consolidation phase.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2025