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Trading activity persisted at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), as the benchmark KSE‑100 Index rose by more than 400 points in the latter half of Friday’s session.
At 2:35 p.m., the index stood at 171,633.75, reflecting a gain of 458.25 points, or 0.27%.
Purchasing interest was evident across several sectors, such as automobile manufacturers, cement producers, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration firms, oil marketing companies, and power generators. Heavyweight components like HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, HBL, and NBP posted gains.
On Thursday, the exchange continued its upward momentum, driven by cautious optimism over a possible diplomatic resolution between the United States and Iran, which spurred selective buying in large‑cap stocks and propelled the benchmark higher.
The KSE‑100 Index rose 984.86 points, a 0.58% increase, finishing at 171,175.51 points.
Globally, Asian equity markets slipped on Friday as investors locked in profits from technology shares and adopted a defensive stance ahead of the weekend, concerned about escalating Middle East tensions and the stalled U.S.-Iran peace negotiations.
Iran‑aligned Hezbollah turned down a proposed ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday, and Israel announced it would not pull its troops from the country, thwarting U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to stop the fighting and broker a peace agreement with Tehran.
The AI‑driven rally that had lifted markets earlier in the week lost momentum after chipmaker Broadcom delivered weaker-than-expected results.
Consequently, MSCI’s broadest Asia‑Pacific index (excluding Japan) fell 1.6% in early trading. South Korea’s technology‑focused Kospi declined by more than 6%, while Japan’s Nikkei slipped 1.3%.
Nasdaq futures dropped 1%, and S&P 500 futures eased 0.5% following a mixed Wall Street session. Euro Stoxx 50 futures slipped 0.2%, DAX futures fell 0.5%, and FTSE futures remained unchanged.
Oil prices were largely unchanged on Friday as traders awaited greater clarity on U.S.-Iran negotiations, though they remained on track for a weekly gain after earlier hostilities heightened concerns of a sustained energy shock.
