Published August 1, 2026 Updated about an hour ago KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended the week on a positive but subdued note on Friday, as early gains were trimmed by late-session profit-taking and position squaring ahead of the weekend. Despite strong buying at the opening, investors opted to book profits in select heavyweight stocks during the second half of the session, limiting the benchmark index’s advance. The benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 546.13 points, or 0.31 percent, to settle at 176,094.12 points, compared with the previous close of 175,547.98 points. The index climbed to an intraday high of 177,108.67 points before retreating to an intraday low of 175,934.99 points as traders pared positions before the weekend. Business Recorder indices also portrayed an overall positive performance across the market. The BRIndex100 advanced by 56.91 points, or 0.30 percent, to close at 19,346.81 points, with total traded volume improving to 642.81 million shares. Likewise, the BRIndex30 gained 174.88 points, or 0.25 percent, to settle at 69,567.15 points on a turnover of 288.61 million shares. Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited, said the market witnessed another mixed trading session with strong momentum at the opening that gradually faded later in the day. “PSX witnessed another mixed session today. The market opened on a strong note. However, gains were partially erased during the second half of the session as traders opted to square off positions ahead of the weekend, resulting in a modest positive close,” he said. Najib added that Engro Holdings (ENGROH), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Lucky Cement (LUCK), Bank Al Habib Limited (BAHL), and Askari Bank Limited (AKBL) collectively contributed around 250 points to the benchmark index. On the other hand, Engro Fertilisers (EFERT), United Bank Limited (UBL), Habib Metropolitan Bank (HMB), Javedan Corporation (JVDC), and Maple Leaf Cement Factory (MLCF) jointly erased around 101 points due to selective profit-taking. Trading activity strengthened on the ready counter as overall market participation increased. Total Ready Market volume rose to 880.95 million shares from 711.20…