The benchmark KSE-100 Index surged nearly 1,000 points during early trading on Thursday as buying activity returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange amid renewed investor confidence.
At 9:35am, the index was trading at 168,449.14, up by 998.01 points or 0.60 percent.
Investor interest remained strong across major sectors including automobile assemblers, cement, banking, oil and gas exploration, oil marketing companies, power generation, and refineries.
Major heavyweight stocks including Attock Refinery Limited, Hub Power Company, Mari Energies, Oil and Gas Development Company, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Habib Bank Limited, MCB Bank, Meezan Bank, and United Bank Limited traded in positive territory.
The rally follows a weak session on Wednesday when the market closed sharply lower amid investor caution over slow diplomatic developments and rising uncertainty linked to tensions between the United States and Iran. Higher international oil prices also triggered selling pressure in key stocks.
On Wednesday, the KSE-100 Index had dropped 1,465.09 points to settle at 167,451.14.
Meanwhile, global equities moved higher on Thursday as optimism surrounding artificial intelligence-related gains supported investor sentiment. In South Korea, chipmaker SK Hynix approached a trillion-dollar valuation, boosting regional technology stocks.
Market participants also closely monitored ongoing talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing, with investors reacting to developments related to trade and geopolitical issues.
Across Asia, market performance remained mixed. China’s blue-chip stocks edged lower after recent gains, while Japan’s Nikkei index touched a record high on the back of strong AI-linked earnings. South Korea’s KOSPI index traded largely flat after early advances.
Analysts, however, cautioned that elevated oil prices and continuing tensions in the Middle East could reignite inflation concerns and weigh on global financial markets.
