Positive momentum returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining nearly 700 points on Thursday.
At close, the benchmark index settled at 187,688.16, up 654.90 points or 0.35%.
Buying activity was observed across key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, fertilizers, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, and refineries. Major index-heavy stocks such as MARI, OGDC, SNGPL, WAFI, INDU, LUCK, HBL, MEBL, and UBL closed in positive territory.
On Wednesday, the PSX witnessed a sharp reversal as widespread profit-taking and heavy selling in index-heavy stocks dragged the market into negative territory, erasing the previous session’s gains.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index fell by 1,588.52 points, or 0.84%, closing at 187,033.27 points.
In a separate development, Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb said that Pakistan will enter the Chinese capital market for the first time with the issuance of a Panda bond. Aurangzeb highlighted the importance of fiscal discipline, productive use of debt and export-led growth as key pathways to unlocking new sources of economic growth.
Meanwhile, foreign assistance to the country in the first half of FY2025-26 reached USD 4.51 billion, marking a 20% increase compared to the same period last year.
Data from the Economic Affairs Division shows that multilateral and bilateral loans and grants in December totaled USD 1.47 billion, up from USD 511.49 million in November.
