Market traded in a narrow range today between -139pts and +137pts, closing the session +48pts above 36K level. Profit booking was observed in Banking, Pharma, E&P, OMCs and Fertilizer, whereas Cement and Steel sectors gained further momentum. Expectation of announcement of Housing Scheme by the Prime Minister today alongwith financing through Banks motivated institutional investors to increase positions in Cement sector. Cement sector posted high volumes with 43.4M shares, followed by Technology (33.2M) and Vanaspati (27.9M). Among scrips, UNITY led the volumes with 27.9M shares, followed by MLCF (24.6M) and TRG (14.2M).

· The Index closed at 36,190pts as against 36,142pts showing an increase of 48pts (+0.1% DoD). Sectors contributing to the performance include Cement (+48pts), Banks (+40pts), Fertilizer (+16pts), E&P (-20pts), Pharma (-17pts), O&GMCs (-12pts).

· Volumes declined from 467.5M shares to 293mn shares (-38% DoD). Average traded value also declined by 39% to reach US$ 57.6mn as against US$ 94.1mn.

· Stocks that contributed significantly to the volumes include UNITY, MLCF, TRG, HASCOL and PAEL, which formed 32% of total volumes.

· Stocks that contributed positively to the index include LUCK (+22pts), NBP (+17pts), ENGRO (+15pts), MLCF (+10pts) and BAHL (+9pts). Stocks that contributed negatively include PPL (-13pts), TRG (-12pts), OGDC (-9pts), PSO (-9pts), and GLAXO (-7pts. (AHL)