KARACHI: After a volatile three-session spell, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) saw a return of bullish sentiment on Wednesday, with the market reversing its bearish trend, though it remained cautious amid a lack of positive triggers. The KSE-100 index closed the session in the green, buoyed by key support from major heavyweights.

According to Topline Securities, the KSE-100 index settled at 183,049 points, registering a gain of 896 points in a largely range-bound session. Throughout the day, the index fluctuated within a band, reaching an intraday high of 183,801 points and a low of 182,052 points.

Support from blue-chip stocks, including Engro Holdings, Lucky Cement, Faysal Bank, MCB Bank, and Bank Alfalah, was instrumental in the market’s performance, contributing a combined 920 points to the benchmark. However, losses from Bank Al-Habib, Pakistan Petroleum, and United Bank countered some of the gains, collectively reducing the day’s overall increase by 311 points.

Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, noted that the KSE-100 index staged a strong recovery after dipping near the 182,000 mark earlier in the day.

On the corporate front, PSX is anticipating 12 initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2026, including Sitara Petroleum Services Ltd, which aims to raise up to $11.4 million for business expansion. Additionally, Pakistan and the UAE are set to sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to boost bilateral trade to $20 billion annually, up from the current $8-10bn.

Despite the positive session, trading volumes fell 30.84pc to 734 million shares, while traded value decreased 6.57pc to Rs35 billion. K-Electric topped the volume chart, with 120 million shares changing hands.

Bank Al-Habib reported consolidated quarterly earnings of Rs5.8bn for 4Q2025, or earnings per share of Rs5.20, reflecting a 23pc year-on-year decline and a 16pc fall quarter-on-quarter. The results came below market expectations, attributed to higher-than-expected operating expenses.

Market analysts expect the KSE-100 index to continue consolidating within the 180,000-190,000 range, with heightened volatility expected in the coming sessions.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2026