The market opened on a firm footing and wasted little time building momentum, with buying interest accelerating during early trade. Although some profit-taking emerged after the benchmark briefly crossed the 182,000-point mark, it failed to derail the rally. Despite the strong close, investors remained mindful of external risks, including uncertainty surrounding global oil prices and the evolving regional geopolitical landscape. KTrade Securities observed that it was a broad-based rally, with buying interest visible across nearly all major sectors. The Bank of Punjab emerged as volume leader with trading in over 60million shares, gaining Rs1.25 to close at Rs36.00.