KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a strong rally on Thursday as the KSE-100 index climbed 1,392.01 points, or 0.83 per cent, to close at 169,911.95 against the previous session’s close of 168,519.94. Investor confidence increased on reports of second round of peace talks.
The index touched an intraday high of 170,899.16 and a low of 168,941.31, while the KSE-30 index rose 554.80 points, or 1.09 per cent, to finish at 51,473.16. Ali Najib, deputy head of trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the PSX further extended its rally, reflecting strong momentum to continue.
Market sentiment remained buoyant during the session due to strong investor confidence and improved liquidity conditions. This strong trend can be accredited to the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed receipt of $2 billion from the Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia, with the value date of April 15, 2026.
In addition, Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of $1,070 million in March, compared to $231 million in February and $1,275 million in March 2025. On a cumulative basis, 9MFY26 posted a marginal surplus of $8 million versus $1,674 million in the same period last year.
“Amid ongoing speculation of further US-Iran talks in Islamabad keeps sentiment supported but highly sensitive to unfolding developments,” Najib said. Turnover in the ready market stood at 972.71 million shares, down 19.33 per cent from 1.21 billion shares in the prior session. Traded value declined 26.05 per cent to Rs43.93 billion from Rs59.42 billion, while market capitalisation rose 1.03 per cent to Rs18.8 trillion from Rs18.61 trillion.
Market breadth was positive, with 307 companies advancing against 139 declining and 43 unchanged out of 489 traded. Among top gainers, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited rose Rs270.25 to close at Rs26,498.9, while Blessed Textiles Limited added Rs123.49 to end at Rs1,433.27. On the losing side, PIA Holding Company Limited fell Rs244.33 to Rs18,243, and Service Industries Limited shed Rs23.32 to close at Rs1,644.45.
Naveed Nadeem, senior equity trader at Topline Securities Limited, said the local bourse sustained its bullish trajectory, with sentiment firmly anchored in optimism over a potential resumption of US-Iran negotiations following earlier inconclusive talks. The easing of geopolitical overhang continued to trigger a risk-on rally, with investors aggressively rebuilding positions across the board.
On the index front, key heavyweights including UBL, OGDC, HUBC, PPL, ENGROH and FFC collectively contributed 1,013 points to the benchmark’s advance, underscoring the index-heavy nature of the rally and sustained institutional flow into blue chips.
Unity Foods Ltd led ready market turnover with 70.58 million shares, advancing 95 paisas to Rs9.36, followed by K-Electric Ltd with 53.1 million shares, gaining 4 paisas to Rs7.81. Other top turnover stocks included Hascol Petroleum, Bank of Punjab, Pace (Pakistan) Ltd, Lotte Chemical, WorldCall Telecom, Pak Int Bulk Terminal, Sui Southern Gas Company and JS Momentum Fund. In the futures market, 311 companies were traded, with 211 recording gains, 99 declining and one remaining unchanged.
