Mixed sentiments continued to prevail for the second consecutive day on the Lahore Stock Exchange (LSE) on Thursday where equities moved both ways and finally ended in negative zone due to lacking interest on the part of investors. The LSE-25 index was further declined by 13.78 points and was closed at 2863.30 points against 2877.08 points of Wednesday, while transaction volume was marginally increased to 678,249 shares, as compared to day earlier volume of 668,379 shares.
The market was opened on a negative note but buying support in select shares helped sharp recovery. However, sentiments could not remain intact and the market started sliding, as investors offloaded their holdings. As a result, Dawood Hercules Corporation, National Bank, OGDC, Engro Corporation, Habib Bank, Habib Sugar, Nishat Mills, Arif Habib Corporation, D.G. Khan Cement and Pakistan Reinsurance remained under pressure.
However, Fauji Fertiliser, MCB Bank, Allied Bank, PPL, Fatima Fertiliser, and Hub Power helped market avert more declines. The losers were more than the gainers, as out of a total of 92 active issues, 9 companies registered gains, 18 went down, while 65 companies remained unchanged at their previous levels. Fauji Fertiliser gained Rs 1.82, MCB Bank was improved by Rs 1.50, while Allied Bank was appreciated by Rs 1.02. Dawood Hercules Corporation lost Rs 1.25, National Bank was declined by Rs 1.15 and OGDC was down by Rs 1.03. Bank of Punjab was the market leader whose 104,535 shares changed hands followed by NIB Bank with 104,300 shares.