Overview
- The benchmark KSE-100 rose about 500.11 points to close at 177,873.88 on Friday after a volatile session that swung roughly 2,419 points between an intraday low of 176,865.05 and a high of 179,284.34.
- Mari Petroleum, through its wholly owned unit Mari Minerals, disclosed a porphyry copper‑gold discovery at the East Siah Diq (ESD‑1) target in Chagai, and the announcement provided the material late-session lift to market sentiment.
- Trading activity was strong with roughly 1.04 billion shares changing hands and total traded value near Rs31 billion, while market breadth showed 284 advancers, 184 decliners and 29 unchanged.
- A small group of large caps led the gains: MARI, Lucky Cement, Pakistan Petroleum (PPL), Pakistan Sugar Mills (PSEL) and Fatima Fertilizer together contributed about 722 points to the index, even as banks, power and tech stocks lagged.
- Foreign investors were net buyers to the tune of about Rs179 million and analysts said optimism is cautious because the discovery needs drilling and commercial appraisal and because oil‑price moves and geopolitical developments could swing sentiment next week.