The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) observed strong buying interest on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index closing at a new all-time high amid broad-based participation and positive investor sentiment.
The index maintained a steady upward momentum throughout the trading session, with a notable rally in the afternoon session that pushed the index to an intra-day high of 172,248.94, before some mild consolidation near the end.
At close, the benchmark index settled at 171,960.64, an increase of 1,646.79 points or 0.97%.
“The local bourse saw strong buying interest from local funds after a drop in PIB yields boosted investor confidence,” brokerage house Topline Securities said in its post-market report.
Strength in ENGROH, FFC, UBL, LUCK, and BAHL underpinned positive momentum, collectively contributing 1504 points to the index. The upside, however, was partly negated by declines in PIOC, DHPL, and MLCF, which together subtracted 176 points, Topline said.
On a fiscal front, Pakistan’s current account posted a surplus of $100 million in November 2025, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s cargo transporters – including those operating between Karachi seaports and factories nationwide – called off the wheel jam strike on Wednesday, stating that the government had agreed to address their demands, including increasing the time for “20-feet long 10-wheel cargo vehicles” to 19 hours a day on roads.
On Wednesday, PSX witnessed a session of intense volatility as the downward movement was primarily driven by a backdrop of mixed investor sentiment and pronounced volatility, which triggered selective profit-taking after the index hit a historic intraday peak.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index ended the day at 170,313.86 points, marking a marginal retreat of 133.44 points or 0.08%.
Internationally, Asian shares fell on Thursday as the tech sector took a beating on renewed angst about AI spending, while investors braced for a wave of central bank meetings set to underscore policy divergence worldwide.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5% as South Korea dropped 1.3% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.5%. Japan’s Nikkei was down 1.2%.
Nasdaq futures gained 0.3% and S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%, after a tech-led selloff on Wall Street as investors grappled with renewed concerns over record AI spending. Shares of AI bellwether Nvidia tumbled 3.8%.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani rupee posted marginal gain against the US dollar, gaining Re0.01 during trading in the inter-bank market on Thursday. At close, the local currency settled at 280.26, against 280.27 it had closed at on Wednesday.
Volume on the all-share index decreased to 950.14 million from 1,068.51 million recorded in the previous close. The value of shares increased to Rs54.07 billion from Rs51.80 billion in the previous session.
TPL REIT Fund I was the volume leader with 75.80 million shares, followed by Hascol Petrol with 37.08 million shares, and Siddiqsons Tin with 36.74 million shares.
Shares of 482 companies were traded on Thursday, of which 217 registered an increase, 228 recorded a fall, and 37 remained unchanged.