KARACHI: The stock market opened the new month with a powerful rally on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 index surging 6,768.25 points, or 4.55 per cent, to close at 155,511.57 points, up from the previous session’s close of 148,743.32 points. Buying was sweeping and decisive, with gainers far outnumbering losers across all three market segments. The market was halted briefly for an increase of 5.0 per cent in the KSE-30 index against the last day’s closure.
The index climbed to an intraday high of 157,347.18 points before settling slightly below that level, while the session low was recorded at 151,262.77 points. The KSE-30 index also posted a sharp gain, rising by 2,124.72 points, or 4.72 per cent, to close at 47,156.33 points, against 45,031.6 points in the prior session.
Ali Najib, deputy head of trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the PSX staged a sharp rebound, decisively reclaiming the key psychological threshold of 150k. Improved investor sentiment, driven by growing optimism around geopolitical de-escalation in the Middle East, triggered broad-based buying across sectors, enabling the market to regain its bullish momentum.
On the macroeconomic front, CPI for March 2026 clocked in at 7.3 per cent YoY (highest since Aug’24), compared to 7.0 per cent in February 2026, indicating a modest uptick in inflationary pressures.
Geopolitically, China and Pakistan jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in the Iran conflict and emphasised the need to safeguard shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. Sentiment was further supported by positive developments on the de-escalation front.
Index gains were largely driven by heavyweight contributions from UBL, LUCK, FFC, HBL, MEBL, BAHL, MCB, PPL, NBP and ENGROH, which collectively added approximately 3,596 points to the benchmark.
“Going forward, US President Donald Trump’s Wednesday address will be a key determinant of near-term market direction,” said Najib. “Based on the prevailing trends across global capital and commodity markets, expectations are tilted towards a measured and conciliatory stance, which could support further de-escalation from current levels and reinforce improving investor sentiment.”
Trading volumes surged strongly. Shares traded in the ready market rose by 54.24 per cent to 670.868 million from 434.959 million in the previous session. Traded value soared by 95.09 per cent to Rs43.979 billion from Rs22.541 billion. Market capitalisation expanded by 4.12 per cent to Rs17.215 trillion from Rs16.534 trillion.
Of the 485 companies active during the session, 365 closed in positive territory, only 67 recorded losses, and 53 remained unchanged. Among the top gainers, Rafhan Maize Products Company Limited rose by Rs117.28 to close at Rs8,900.13 per share. Khyber Textile Mills Limited followed, gaining Rs94.79 to close at Rs1,345 per share.
On the declining side, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited shed Rs185.83 to close at Rs24,101.17 per share. Blessed Textiles Limited fell by Rs63.27 to close at Rs815.74 per share. Naveed Nadeem, senior equity trader at Topline Securities Limited, said the KSE-100 index closed the session at 155,511 points, signalling a strong rebound in market sentiment.
The upward trend was largely supported by declining international oil prices, which bolstered investor confidence. Furthermore, positive performance in global equity markets provided additional impetus to the bullish momentum.
K-Electric Ltd topped the volume table with 78.566 million shares traded, gaining 33 paisas to close at Rs7.22 per share. BO Punjab XD followed with 49.506 million shares, rising Rs1.79 to close at Rs26.52 per share.
Other significant turnover stocks included Cnergyico PK, Hascol Petroleum, WorldCall Telecom, Maple Leaf, Fauji Cement, Pak Int Bulk, Trust Brokerage and Nishat ChunPower. In the futures market, 311 companies recorded trading activity, of which 310 advanced and only one declined.
