KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a strong rally on Friday as the KSE-100 index surged 4,027.06 points, or 2.37 per cent, to close at 173,939.01 against the previous session’s close of 169,911.95. Positive momentum in the market continued over a potential Middle East resolution in the coming days.
The index touched an intraday high of 174,404.03 and a low of 170,758.26, while the KSE-30 index gained 1,336.81 points, or 2.6 per cent, to end at 52,809.97.Ali Najib, deputy head of trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the PSX continued its strong post-ceasefire rally, reflecting sustained bullish momentum.
Market sentiment remained firmly positive throughout the session, as investors chased gains amid optimism over a potential Middle East resolution, further strengthening risk appetite. “Going forward, the potential second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad remains a key catalyst for market direction. While no formal schedule has been confirmed, ongoing diplomatic efforts and backchannel engagement suggest negotiations are likely to continue in the near term,” Najib said.
“As a result, market sentiment is expected to stay broadly supported; however, it will remain highly sensitive to headlines and incremental developments, with each update carrying the potential to significantly influence near-term momentum and investor positioning.”
Turnover in the ready market rose 48.01 per cent to 1.44 billion shares from 972.71 million in the prior session. Traded value surged 54.77 per cent to Rs67.99 billion against Rs43.93 billion previously. Market capitalisation increased 2.39 per cent to Rs19.25 trillion from Rs18.8 trillion.
Market breadth was overwhelmingly positive, with 354 companies advancing, 101 declining and 31 finishing unchanged out of 486 traded.Rafhan Maize Products Company Limited led gainers, rising Rs299.14 to close at Rs9,637.84, while Sazgar Engineering Works Limited added Rs78.89 to end at Rs2,233.7. Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited topped decliners, shedding Rs150.56 to close at Rs26,348.34, while Hoechst Pakistan Limited fell Rs22.49 to Rs3,987.51.
Vice President International Equity Sales at Topline Securities Nabeel Haroon said robust trading session was observed at the local bouse. This positivity can be attributed to statement by US President Donald Trump, where he claimed that Iran has made concessions in an ongoing negotiation to end the seven-week war, while a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon increased the prospect of a broader peace.
Top positive contribution to the index came from UBL, NBP, PPL, OGDC, LUCK and HBL, as they cumulatively contributed 1,926 points to the index. Traded value wise BOP (Rs5.5 billion), OGDC (Rs4.3 billion), NBP (Rs3.69 billion), HBL (Rs3.41 billion) and PPL (Rs3.2 billion) dominated the trading activity
Bank of Punjab dominated ready market turnover with 153.72 million shares, gaining 307 paisas to close at Rs37.01, while K-Electric Limited followed with 134.42 million shares, rising 40 paisas to Rs8.21. Treet Battery Limited, Unity Foods Limited, WorldCall Telecom, Pak Elektron, Trust Brokerage, Hascol Petroleum, Cnergyico PK and Pak Int. Bulk Terminal also featured among the top turnover counters.In the futures market, 311 contracts were traded, with 287 rising, 22 declining and two unchanged.
