The Pakistan Stock Exchange extended its recovery on Wednesday and carried the momentum into Thursday morning, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing further in early trading. On Wednesday, the index advanced by 1,269.55 points, or 0.77 per cent, to close at 165,736.76 points, against 164,467.20 points at the close of the previous session. Late-session buying lifted the market, supported by broad-based gains across major sectors, and the index finished above the 165,000-point level. Trading activity also rose sharply on Wednesday. The ready market recorded a volume of 578.124 million shares, compared with 401.969 million shares in the previous session, while traded value increased to Rs26.203 billion from Rs18.069 billion. Market capitalisation rose to Rs18.329 trillion from Rs18.214 trillion. Of the 496 companies that traded in the ready market, 269 posted gains, 180 suffered losses and 47 remained unchanged. Pervez Ahmed Company led the volume chart with 58.321 million shares, followed by TPL Properties with 38.349 million shares and Cnergyico PK with 34.763 million shares. Among the top gainers, Ghandhara Industries surged by Rs106.12 to close at Rs1,167.28, while Rafhan Maize Products advanced by Rs70.86 to Rs8,408.05. Analysts linked the rally in part to relief after the State Bank of Pakistan raised its policy rate by 50 basis points to 12 per cent, a smaller move than some investors had feared, which encouraged buying in banks and other cyclical stocks. Better-than-expected corporate results also supported sentiment. Topline Securities reported sustained buying interest, while Arif Habib Limited noted that Engro Holdings posted a consolidated net profit of Rs10.469 billion in the third quarter of 2026, up 17 per cent from a year earlier, with earnings per share of Rs8.69 and no dividend announced for the quarter. Fauji Fertiliser, National Bank, Hub Power, MCB Bank and Bank Alfalah together added about 833 points to the index. The positive trend continued on Thursday. Business Recorder reported that at 9:45am the benchmark was hovering at 166,104.36, up by 367.61 points or 0.22 per cent. Buying was observed in automobile assemblers, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies and power generation. Index-heavy stocks including HUBCO, K-Electric, Mari Energies, Pakistan Oilfields, Pakistan Petroleum, Pakistan State Oil, Sui Northern Gas, Habib Bank, MCB Bank, Meezan Bank and United Bank traded in the green. By 10:25am, 24NewsHD reported the index at 166,989.55, up by 1,252.80 points or 0.75 per cent, with 282 companies up, 150 down and 138 unchanged out of 570 traded. Business Recorder later reported that at 11:10am the index stood at 167,316.40, up by 1,579.65 points or 0.95 per cent in the opening hours. No closing figure for Thursday is claimed here, because the market was still trading when these morning figures were reported. Investors noted, however, that risks remain: foreign investors were net sellers on Wednesday, offloading Rs624 million worth of shares according to the National Clearing Company, and analysts warned that Brent crude near six-month highs and ongoing Middle East tensions could push up Pakistan’s import bill and inflation. Sources: Business Recorder, 24NewsHD, Dunya News, The Nation.
PSX Extends Rally as KSE-100 Closes at 165,736 and Opens Higher on Thursday
