Market watch: Profit-taking emerges after four-day bullish run
The Karachi Stock Exchange benchmark 100-share index ended 0.19 per cent or 23.78 points lower at 12,658.16.
Major oil and banking stocks closed in the negative while fertiliser scrips showed mixed fortunes.
Among oil stocks, Pakistan Oilfields bore the brunt of selling pressure and fell 1.2 per cent while Pakistan State Oil dipped two per cent.
Among banks, MCB Bank remained under immense selling pressure and dropped two per cent on market rumours of foreigners offloading the scrip.
“Trading volumes continued to remain strong as locals were active eyeing further upside in lagging second-tier stocks and continued foreign interest in key stocks,” said Elixir Securities equity dealer Faisal Bilwani.
The trading volume declined by 14.5 per cent to 270.8 million shares compared with the preceding day’s 316.8 million shares.
Top gainers
Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) were the top two gainers of the day following news that a court ordered in favour of the gas distribution companies, allowing them enhanced unaccounted-for-gas target of seven per cent, according to Topline Securities dealer Samar Iqbal.
SSGC jumped to its upper limit of five per cent and closed at Rs23.21 while SNGPL surged 4.8 per cent to end at Rs29.
Fauji Fertiliser Bin Qasim Limited (FFBL), the volume leader with 32.86 million shares traded, and Fauji Fertiliser Company stole the show among fertiliser companies as they jumped 2.3 per cent and 3.6 per cent, respectively, on optimism over upcoming quarterly results. FFBL is scheduled to announce its results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 on January 25.
Lotte Pakistan PTA came second in the volumes chart with 27.82 million shares firming Rs0.15 to close at Rs15.64 while Azgard Nine Limited came third with 22.02 million shares falling Rs0.27 to close at Rs11.38.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2011.
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