Pakistan Stock Exchange Gains Extend as KSE‑100 Surges Past 1,400 Points Intraday

The benchmark index reached 166,877 points before easing slightly, as buying was seen in banking, energy and automobile stocks.

Trading continued on Thursday at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, where the KSE‑100 Index rose more than 1,400 points during the session, bolstered by buying in banking, energy and automobile sectors.

The PSX website reported a strong opening, with the benchmark index advancing over 550 points in the first few minutes of trading.

Momentum persisted, taking the KSE‑100 to an intraday high of 166,877.01 points, a gain of 1,459.50 points.

Buying activity was observed across multiple sectors, including automobile manufacturers, commercial banks, oil and gas explorers, oil marketers, and power generators.

At 2:05 pm, the index stood at 166,470.06 points, up 1,052.55 points (0.64%) from the prior close of 165,417.51.

These gains followed Wednesday’s rebound, when buying in refinery and other energy‑related stocks lifted the market higher amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and a dearth of new catalysts.

On Wednesday, the KSE‑100 rose 641.07 points (0.39%) to close at 165,417.51, with Pakistan Refinery Limited drawing notable investor interest.

Globally, technology stocks plunged on Thursday as worries about rising borrowing costs and debt‑financed AI infrastructure spending spurred a sell‑off across Asian markets, echoing Wall Street’s declines.

South Korea’s KOSPI fell more than 8%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 5.4%, and MSCI’s broadest Asia‑Pacific index (excluding Japan) slipped 3.4%, marking its fourth consecutive decline.

Wall Street posted its third straight loss on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 down 1.1% and the Nasdaq Composite down 1.9%; semiconductor stocks continued their decline for a sixth consecutive session.

Asian technology firms were hit hard; Samsung Electronics fell 9.9%, and memory‑chip makers SK Hynix and Kioxia Holdings each lost over 11%.

Japan’s SoftBank Group slipped more than 9%, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) dropped 2%.

European stock futures also slipped, with pan‑European futures down 0.9% and Germany’s DAX futures down 0.6%.

Oil prices slipped about 2% on Thursday as proposed U.S. measures to ease sanctions on Russia’s “shadow fleet” tankers eased concerns, though attacks on vessels in the Middle East and Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure curbed the decline.

Brent crude futures fell $2.28 (2.2%) to $103.78 per barrel by 0729 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.34 (1.4%) to $93.75, erasing gains from the prior session.

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