The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday edged upward with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining nearly 300 points.
At close, the benchmark index settled at 169,703.60, an increase of 276.16 points or 0.16%.
Investor sentiment remained subdued on Wednesday as selling pressure persisted across major sectors, including automobiles, cement and commercial banks. Stocks such as PPL, PAEL, OGDC and KML closed in negative territory, contributing to the market’s decline.
As a result, the benchmark KSE-100 Index shed 903.12 points, or 0.53 per cent, to settle at 169,427.44 points, compared with the previous close of 170,330.56 points.
Meanwhile, the National Economic Council (NEC) approved a national development outlay of Rs3.669 trillion for fiscal year 2026-27, including Rs838 billion in foreign assistance, and set a GDP growth target of 4 per cent.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also approved Rs1 trillion for the federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), Rs2.218 trillion for provincial development schemes and Rs451 billion for state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
In addition, the NEC unanimously endorsed revised economic indicators and development allocations for the outgoing fiscal year 2025-26. The council approved Rs820 billion for the federal PSDP, Rs2.938 trillion for provincial development programs and Rs355 billion for SOEs, while setting the GDP growth target for FY26 at 3.7 per cent.
