KSE-100 Index Fluctuates During Friday’s Trading Session

During Friday’s intra-day trading, the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) KSE-100 Index experienced volatility, moving in both positive and negative directions.

The session began with a positive surge, as the KSE-100 increased by over 800 points in the early hours. However, selling activity subsequently pushed the index back into negative territory.

As of 12:15pm, the KSE-100 was recorded at 114,796.33, reflecting a decrease of 223.48 points, which is equivalent to 0.19%.

The previous day, Thursday, the PSX faced substantial selling pressure, leading to a loss of over 2,200 points for the KSE-100 Index.

Across Asia, stock markets were on track for their second consecutive week of gains. The dollar also appeared set for its first weekly increase in over a month. This occurred as investors responded favorably to a perceived softening in the White House’s stance on matters concerning China, even in the absence of explicit signals indicating de-escalation.

Alphabet, the U.S. tech giant and parent company of Google, surpassed profit forecasts and confirmed its AI spending objectives. Consequently, its shares rose nearly 5% in after-hours trading, positively influencing both its peers and S&P 500 futures, which saw a 0.5% increase.

On Wall Street, investors had previously dismissed mixed corporate results, leading to a 2% rise in the S&P 500.

After experiencing a volatile few weeks marked by tariff announcements, policy reversals, and a shift away from U.S. assets, the dollar appeared to stabilize. It hovered around $1.1350 per euro and 143 Japanese yen, with dollar selling diminishing in Asia on Friday.