The overall market volumes contracted from 500.09 million shares in the previous session to 354 million shares (-29pc). Maple Leaf Cement Factory Ltd (MLCF +3.61pc), Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL +7.48pc) and Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY -1.93pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 45.76 million, 27.94 million and 24.27 million shares, respectively. Sectors that kept the benchmark index afloat included cement (+117.06 points), insurance (+21.04 points) and fertilizer (+17.83 points). Among the companies, Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +31.03 points), Engro Corporation Ltd (ENGRO +26.23 points) and Cherat Cement Company Ltd (CHCC +23.66 points) remained the top contributors. Adding 3.08pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the cement sector ended as the session’s top performer, with Bestway Cement Ltd (BWCL +4.80pc), Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +1.62pc) and DG Khan Cement Company Ltd (DGKC +1.16pc) posting decent gains.

Source: Pakistan Today October 23, 2020 13:52 UTC