The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) saw the benchmark KSE-100 Index reach a historic high of 138,665.49 on Thursday, recording a robust gain of 2,285.53 points or 1.68%. The index remained in positive territory throughout the trading session, peaking at 138,943.47 points (+2,563.51) and reaching a low of 136,674.98 (+295.02).
Investor sentiment was buoyed by growing expectations of an interest rate cut in the upcoming monetary policy review later this month. This positive outlook was further reinforced by a decline in yields seen during Wednesday’s Pakistan Investment Bond (PIB) auction. A stable external account and easing inflation continue to support the argument for reducing interest rates to single digits, further fueling the bullish momentum in the market.
The KSE-100 Index saw widespread buying in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, fertilisers, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation, and refineries. Major index-heavy stocks such as ARL, HUBCO, PSO, SNGPL, MARI, OGDC, POL, UBL, and NBP traded in the green.
Of the 100 companies in the index, 80 closed higher, while 20 closed lower. Top gainers included PSEL (+10.00%), AICL (+9.81%), PTC (+7.53%), EFERT (+5.00%), and SYS (+4.48%). On the downside, BNWM (-9.86%), MEHT (-3.48%), and THALL (-3.37%) were among the top losers.
The market’s positive momentum continues to be supported by a favorable economic outlook, with expectations of further policy shifts and investor confidence in key sectors.
