PSX Maintains Bullish Trend with KSE-100 Index Surpassing 700 Points

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) saw continued positive momentum, buoyed by a favorable economic climate and strong corporate performance. The benchmark KSE-100 Index jumped by over 700 points in the early hours of trading on Thursday.

As of 10:50 am, the KSE-100 Index stood at 145,814.78, reflecting a surge of 726.29 points, equivalent to a 0.50% increase.

Significant buying activity was evident in key sectors such as oil and gas exploration, oil marketing companies (OMCs), power generation, and refineries. Major stocks including ARL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PSO, and PPL all showed positive movement.

On Wednesday, the PSX sustained its record-setting rally, with the KSE-100 Index climbing by 2,051 points, or 1.43%, to close at a record high of 145,088.50 points.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement in which PM Shehbaz Sharif voiced his satisfaction as the stock exchange index exceeded the 145,000-point threshold, indicating growing investor confidence in government policies.

The Prime Minister credited the surge in stock market activity to pro-business reforms, reiterating that supporting investment is a key priority for his administration.

International Markets

Asian markets experienced gains on Thursday, with Japanese equities hitting record highs. This was driven by tech-led advances on Wall Street, encouraging earnings reports, and increasing anticipation of U.S. rate cuts.

Market sentiment was also supported by the potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, which strengthened the euro but put downward pressure on oil prices due to concerns about sanctions on Moscow.

Meanwhile, markets largely disregarded Trump’s recent tariff threats, including a possible 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil and a threatened 100% duty on chips.

Japan’s broad Topix index rose by 0.9%, reaching an all-time high, while the tech-heavy Nikkei also saw similar gains.

Taiwan’s stock benchmark increased by 2.3%, reaching a more than one-year peak. South Korea’s KOSPI rose by 0.6%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng increased by 0.4%, and mainland Chinese blue chips advanced by 0.3%.

This information reflects an update during the trading day.