The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its strong rally for the second consecutive day of the business week, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index breaching the 168,000-point level amid robust buying activity across multiple sectors.
At 10:20am on Tuesday, the index was trading at 168,015.96 points, up 1,773.06 points, or 1.07%, as improved investor sentiment and encouraging economic data spurred optimism in the market.
The trading day began on a bullish note as the 167,000-point mark was restored soon after the opening bell. Within the first hour, the KSE-100 Index gained over 2,000 points, hitting 168,277 points — a level not seen in months.
Buying interest was witnessed in key sectors such as automobile assemblers, commercial banks, fertilisers, oil and gas exploration, OMCs, power generation, and refinery stocks. Heavyweight shares, including Attock Refinery Limited (ARL), Hub Power Company (HUBCO), Mari Petroleum (MARI), Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC), Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Pakistan State Oil (PSO), MCB Bank, and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), all traded in the green.
Economic stability fuels market optimism
Analysts attributed the bullish trend to a combination of improved macroeconomic indicators and reduced geopolitical uncertainty.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country’s current account recorded a surplus of $110 million in September, a major turnaround from a $52 million deficit in the same month last fiscal year. The surplus was largely driven by a sharp increase in remittance inflows, which reached $3.18 billion, reflecting an 11% year-on-year rise.
Additionally, Pakistan’s IT exports achieved a record high of $1 billion during the last three months, further strengthening investor confidence in the country’s economic outlook.
Positive regional and global cues support rally
The local market’s uptrend also followed a strong performance in global equity markets, as easing trade tensions between the United States and China lifted risk appetite.
In Asia, stocks rose broadly on Tuesday, with MSCI’s index of Asia-Pacific shares (excluding Japan) hitting a 4.5-year high, up 0.94%. China’s Shanghai Composite gained 0.2%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1% in early trading.
Japan’s Nikkei index also climbed to a record high following reports that Sanae Takaichi was set to become the country’s first female prime minister — a development that boosted investor confidence in Tokyo markets.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected to reach a “fair trade deal” with Chinese President Xi Jinping, easing fears of a major confrontation over Taiwan.
Australian shares also advanced as the country signed a rare earths supply deal with the United States, sparking gains in critical minerals stocks.
The PSX had opened the week on a bullish note on Monday as well, when the KSE-100 Index surged by 2,436.69 points, or 1.49%, closing at 166,242.90 points.
That rally followed a diplomatic breakthrough between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which significantly improved market sentiment and encouraged institutional buying.
