KARACHI: Despite foreign buying, Pakistan Stock Exchange Monday closed on a negative note as the local investors opted to book profits on available margins.

BRIndex100 lost 18.32 points or 0.44 percent to close at 4,145.40 points. During the session, the BRIndex-100 hit an intraday high of 4,167.89 and an intraday low of 4,135.63 points. Total volumes stood at 424.981 million shares.

BRIndex30 decreased by 110.88 points or 0.52 percent to close at 21,209.06 points with total daily turnover of 308.439 million shares.

The KSE-100 Index declined by 114.93 points or 0.29 percent and closed at 39,914.76 points. Trading activities also remained thin as daily volumes on ready counter decreased to 576.547 million shares as compared to 728.768 million shares traded on previous session.

The foreign investors however remained net buyers of shares worth $1.521 million. Total market capitalization declined by Rs 25 billion to Rs 7.398 trillion. Out of total 415 active scrips, 266 closed in negative and 118 in positive while the value of 31 stocks remained unchanged.

Unity Foods (R) was the volume leader with 81.623 million shares and gained Rs 0.11 to close at Rs 3.35 followed by Hascol Petroleum that increased by Rs 0.95 to close at Rs 14.88 with 65.300 million shares. Unilever Foods and Bata Pak were the top gainers increasing by Rs 345.00 and Rs 116.82 respectively to close at Rs 9000.00 and Rs 1674.49 while Rafhan Maize and Island Textile were the top losers declining by Rs 100.00 and Rs 64.07 respectively to close at Rs 7950.00 and Rs 921.33.

BR Automobile Assembler Index gained 21.36 points or 0.26 percent to close at 8,240.30 points with total turnover of 9.595 million shares. BR Cement Index decreased by 64.55 points or 1.17 percent to close at 5,469.61 points with 37.184 million shares.

BR Commercial Banks Index lost 21.74 points or 0.27 percent to close at 8,160.91 points with 23.287 million shares.

BR Power Generation and Distribution Index inched up by 44.68 points or 0.93 percent to close at 4,838.74 points with 32.878 million shares.

BR Oil and Gas Index closed at 3,971.01 points, down 4.32 points or 0.11 percent with 82.002 million shares.

BR Tech. & Comm. Index declined by 73.56 points or 4.35 percent to close at 1,616.66 points with 78.904 million shares.

Danish Ladhani at JS Global Capital said that the KSE-100 Index after making a high and low of plus 165 and minus 201 points, respectively, finally closed at 39,914 levels, down 0.29 percent.

Market remained dull in trading session with E&Ps being the major laggards today where OGDC (down 0.8 percent), POL (down 1.3 percent) and PPL (down 0.8 percent) closed in the red.

Mixed sentiment was seen in the Financials where MCB (down 1.1 percent) and UBL (down 0.8 percent) closed in the negative zone.

Profit taking was witnessed in the Cements where POWER (down 6.5 percent), PIOC (down 3.2 percent) and CHCC (down 4.1 percent) closed in the red zone. Furthermore, ENGRO (down 0.6 percent), MCB (down 1.1 percent), OGDC (down 0.8 percent), PPL (down 0.8 percent), UBL (down 0.8 percent) and POL (down 1.3 percent) were the major index shakers during the trading session.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020