Market Rebound: PSX Soars After Finance Bill 2025 Approval

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a resurgence in buying activity as the government successfully passed the Finance Bill, 2025. The KSE-100 Index demonstrated significant upward movement, gaining over 1,400 points in the initial trading hours on Friday.

As of 11:25 am, the benchmark index was recorded at 123,497.05, reflecting an increase of 1,450.59 points, equivalent to 1.19%.

Sector Performance

Widespread buying interest was evident across multiple key sectors. These included automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies (OMCs), and refineries, all of which traded positively. Major stocks such as MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, SSGC, HBL, MCB, and UBL also saw gains.

Finance Bill 2025 Details

The National Assembly approved the Finance Bill, 2025, on Thursday, outlining a total expenditure of Rs17.57 trillion for the fiscal year 2025-26. The approval, which included specific amendments, was secured with the support of coalition partners. The bill’s clauses were individually approved, while all proposed amendments from the opposition were rejected.

Previous Day’s Market Performance

In contrast, the PSX faced a volatile session on Thursday, with the KSE-100 Index declining due to continuous selling pressure and a cautious approach from investors. The index closed at 122,046.46 points, down by 715.18 points.

Global Market Overview

Asian shares reached a three-year high on Friday, mirroring a rally on Wall Street. However, the dollar faced challenges due to concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence and expectations of potential rate cuts. Global stock indexes are on track to conclude the week positively, with reduced concerns about Middle East tensions and trade-related uncertainties.

MSCI’s index of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan achieved its highest level since November 2021 in early trading. It was last up by 0.2% and is poised to record a weekly gain of 3%. Japan’s Nikkei index rose by 1.5%, surpassing the 40,000 mark for the first time in five months.

Contributing to the positive sentiment was news of an agreement between Washington and Beijing to expedite rare earth shipments to the United States. Additionally, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that he has requested Republicans in Congress to remove the Section 899 retaliatory tax proposal from their tax and spending bill, following an agreement with the Group of Seven industrial countries.

Note: This information reflects an intra-day market update.