The benchmark KSE-100 index witnessed a decline of 0.47 per cent, finishing the day lower than the previous close of 161,687.18 points. Despite this drop, the ready market saw high activity, with 1,545.928 million shares traded, valued at Rs38.855 billion. This volume was notably higher than the 1,214.425 million shares traded in the previous session, though the total value was slightly less than the prior Rs41.376 billion.

Among the 474 active companies in the ready market, the mood was mostly negative: 249 declined, while 179 closed higher, and 46 remained unchanged. The top companies in terms of shares traded were WorldCall Telecom with 459.326 million shares, followed by Bank Makramah with 166.199 million shares, and Beco Steel with 134.304 million shares.

Even with the overall slide, some stocks delivered huge gains. The top winners were Supernet Technologies Limited, which jumped by Rs171.04 to close at Rs1,882.61, and Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited, which rose by Rs150.32 to end at Rs29,649.99. Conversely, the biggest losers included Khyber Textile Mills Limited, which fell by Rs143.18 to Rs1,766.82, and Gillette Pakistan Limited, decreasing by Rs33.45 to close at Rs331.37.

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Activity in the futures market was also significant, recording a turnover of 288.068 million shares with a value of Rs9.898 billion. The most traded contracts here were “WTL-Nov” with 93.346 million shares, “BML-Nov” with 33.313 million shares, and “TELE-Nov” with 17.291 million shares.

Experts suggest that the large trading volume combined with the index’s fall indicates aggressive profit-taking by institutional investors after a recent rally. This movement suggests that while the overall sentiment is cautious, there is still heavy interest and liquidity in the market, particularly in high-volume, low-priced stocks.