Pakistan Stock Exchange Tuesday managed to close on a positive note due to buying in select sectors. BRIndex100 gained 6.02 points or 0.14 percent to close at 4,364.93 points. BRIndex100 touched intraday high of 4,371.18 and intraday low of 4,315.17 points. Volumes stood at 168.968 million shares.
BRIndex30 inched up by 38.21 points or 0.17 percent to close at 23,020.00 points with a turnover of 118.030 million shares. The benchmark KSE-100 index increased by 55.95 points or 0.14 percent to close at 41,152.28 points. Daily trading volumes on the ready counter stood at 177.169 million shares as compared to 178.021 million shares traded Monday.
Foreign investors remained net sellers of shares worth $0.2 million. The market capitalization increased by Rs 5 billion to Rs 8.195 trillion. Lotte Chemical was the volume leader with 21.845 million shares. It gained Re 1.00 to close at Rs 19.10 followed by TRG Pak that inched up by Re 0.78 to close at Rs 31.95 with 17.753 million shares.
Island Textile and Pak Tobacco were the top gainers with Rs 56.00 and Rs 49.80, respectively to close at Rs 1,771.00 and Rs 2,344.74. Jubilee Life Ins and Khyber Tobacco were the top losers with Rs 30.90 and Rs 23.06, respectively to close at Rs 588.10 and Rs 465.65. BR Commercial Banks Index gained 22.14 points or 0.26 percent to close at 8,496.90 points with total turnover of 17.859 million shares.
BR Cement Index lost 7.83 points or 0.17 percent to close at 4,567.69 points with 13.139 million shares. BR Oil and Gas Index closed at 5,226.01 points, down 0.71 points or 0.01 percent with 2.535 million shares.
BR Tech. & Comm. Index inched up by 9.13 points or 0.77 percent to close at 1,188.16 points with 27.256 million shares. BR Power Generation and Distribution Index declined by 58.55 points or 0.94 percent to close at 6,164.17 points with 2.062 million shares.
Ahsan Mehanti at Arif Habib Corporation said stocks showed recovery as investors weigh upbeat data on auto sales, exports and home remittance in October 2018. Major fall in US equities and global crude prices invited mid-session pressure. He said investor speculations ahead of announcements on terms of IMF bailout package and schedule of financial assistance from China, UAE to ease external account crises played a catalyst role in bullish close at PSX.