The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) concluded the final trading session of the week on a positive note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index posting a gain of more than 500 points as investor sentiment improved amid strong buying in heavyweight banking, cement, investment, and textile stocks.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index settled at 176,094.11, up 546.13 points, or 0.31%, from the previous close. The market maintained positive momentum throughout the session, reflecting renewed investor confidence and broad-based buying across key sectors.

During the trading session, the index touched an intraday high of 177,108.66, gaining 1,560.68 points, while the day's lowest level stood at 175,934.99, still 387.01 points above the previous close. Trading activity within the benchmark remained healthy, with 210.43 million shares changing hands.

Market breadth remained firmly positive as 62 companies in the KSE-100 Index closed higher, 36 declined, while 2 remained unchanged.

Among the day's top performers, Adamjee Insurance Company Limited (AICL) advanced 4.22%, followed by Kohinoor Textile Mills Limited (KTML) (+4.10%), Kohat Cement Company Limited (KOHC) (+3.67%), Arif Habib Corporation Limited (AHCL) (+3.20%), and Packages Limited (PKGS) (+2.55%).

On the downside, Habib General Finance Limited (HGFA) fell 3.77%, while International Industries Limited (INIL) lost 2.10%. Other notable laggards included TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG) (-1.54%), Javedan Corporation Limited (JVDC) (-1.33%), and Ghani Glass Limited (GHGL) (-1.05%).

In terms of index-point contribution, Engro Holdings Limited (ENGROH) emerged as the biggest supporter of the benchmark, contributing 88.05 points, followed by Habib Bank Limited (HBL) with 48.94 points, Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK) with 46.41 points, Bank AL Habib Limited (BAHL) with 34.03 points, and Askari Bank Limited (AKBL) with 33.21 points.

Meanwhile, Engro Fertilizers Limited (EFERT) exerted the largest negative impact on the index by 40.18 points. Other major drags included United Bank Limited (UBL) (-23.14 points), Javedan Corporation Limited (JVDC) (-12.94 points), Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited (HMB) (-12.94 points), and Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF) (-11.95 points).

Sector-wise, the market received its biggest boost from Commercial Banks, which added 171.74 points to the benchmark. Additional support came from Investment Banks, Investment Companies & Securities Companies (+107.34 points), Cement (+93.53 points), Textile Composite (+50.13 points), and Oil & Gas Exploration Companies (+40.55 points).

On the other hand, the Fertilizer sector weighed on the benchmark by 22.96 points, followed by Property (-12.94 points), Engineering (-6.22 points), Close-End Mutual Funds (-5.32 points), and Tobacco (-4.45 points).

In the broader market, the PSX All-Share Index ended at 106,530.88, registering a gain of 313.69 points, or 0.30%.

Overall market activity improved significantly as 880.95 million shares were traded, compared with 711.20 million shares in the previous session. However, the total traded value edged down by Rs0.44 billion to Rs24.96 billion.

A total of 333,412 trades were executed across 493 listed companies, with 273 stocks advancing, 185 declining, and 35 closing unchanged, indicating positive market breadth.

Among the most actively traded stocks, TSBL led the volume chart with 178.80 million shares, followed by DBCINC (81.74 million shares), CNERGY (50.46 million shares), WASL (48.68 million shares), and TPL Properties Limited (TPLP) (32.84 million shares).

Despite Friday's gains, the KSE-100 Index remains down 4,208 points (2.33%) during the current fiscal year. However, on a calendar-year basis, the benchmark has added 2,040 points (1.17%), reflecting resilience despite intermittent market volatility and changing investor sentiment.