The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened the new business week on a strong footing, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing the historic 174,000-point mark for the first time, reflecting robust investor confidence and positive market sentiment.
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During intraday trading on Monday, the KSE-100 Index surged by more than 1,900 points to reach an all-time high of 174,411 points. Market analysts described the milestone as a major achievement for the stock market, driven by sustained buying interest and optimism about the country’s economic outlook.
The rally followed a bullish close on Friday, when the benchmark index gained 1,570.51 points, or 0.92%, to settle at 172,400.73 points, compared to 170,830.22 points in the previous session, according to PSX data.
Trading activity remained strong, with the ready market recording a volume of 797.999 million shares and a traded value of Rs 38.062 billion, compared to 811.558 million shares worth Rs 29.795 billion in the prior session. Market capitalization rose to Rs 19.465 trillion from Rs 19.361 trillion a day earlier.
Out of 482 companies traded during the session, 221 registered gains, 229 declined, while 32 remained unchanged, indicating mixed performance across sectors despite the overall market rally.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan is seeking to convert part of its financial support from the United Arab Emirates into long-term investment to help reduce external debt.
Speaking at a year-end briefing on Saturday, Dar said Pakistan was in talks with the UAE to convert $1 billion in deposits into equity investment, potentially involving stakes in companies linked to the Fauji Fertilizer Group. He said such a move would eliminate Pakistan’s repayment obligation on that portion of the funds.
Dar added that discussions were under way to complete the transaction by March 31, noting that Islamabad aims to replace short-term borrowing with sustainable investment inflows.
