KARACHI – The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its record-breaking momentum on Thursday, with the KSE-100 index surging 2,285 points (1.68%) to close at 138,665.50, marking its highest level in history.
Investor optimism remained strong throughout the session, fueled by robust activity in energy, fertiliser, banking, and cement stocks. The index touched an intra-day high of 138,943.47, just shy of the 139,000 mark.
According to KTrade Securities, the day’s rally was powered by heavyweight names such as Fauji Fertiliser, United Bank, Engro Fertilisers, Systems Ltd, Engro Holdings, Hub Power, Habib Bank, and Lucky Cement.
Arif Habib Limited noted that fertiliser, technology, and banking sectors were the major gainers, while Bank AL Habib (-0.86%), Thal Limited (-3.37%), and Habib Metropolitan Bank (-1.15%) weighed slightly on the index.
In corporate developments, Pakistan Services jumped 10% after receiving an acquisition offer for 28% voting shares from AKD Group Holding. On the diplomatic front, Pakistan also established bilateral ties with El Salvador, with cryptocurrency collaboration highlighted as a potential area of cooperation.
Meanwhile, mutual funds maintained strong exposure in OGDC, PPL, and PSO, which remained the most widely held stocks in the energy sector.
Trading snapshot
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Shares traded: 780 million (up from 706m a day earlier)
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Value of shares: Rs40 billion
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Companies traded: 486
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306 gained
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154 declined
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26 remained unchanged
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So far this week, the KSE-100 index is up 3.25%, with analysts expecting the rally to continue if institutional support remains intact.
