The Pakistan Stock Exchange opened Thursday on a stronger footing as investors returned to the market after a sharp sell-off in the previous session.
The KSE-100 Index climbed 925.11 points by 9:50am to reach 177,771.47, marking a 0.52 percent increase from Wednesday’s close of 176,846.36.
Around 10:48am the stock market was up by 1,445 points to reach 178,291.37 when the volume was at 110,044,748
The recovery was not limited to one part of the market. Buying emerged across several major sectors, including banks, cement, automobiles, oil and gas, oil marketing companies and power producers. Heavyweight names such as OGDC, PPL, MARI, POL, PSO, HUBCO, HBL, MCB, MEBL and NBP were among the stocks trading higher.
The market, however, gave up some of its early gains as trading continued. By 2:15pm, the benchmark was at 177,266.21 points, up 419.85 points or 0.24 percent. Around 194.89 million shares had changed hands by then.
Thursday’s movement came after a difficult session for investors. The KSE-100 lost more than 1,100 points on Wednesday as energy stocks came under pressure following reports that the government was discussing a possible diesel price cut with local refineries.
Investor sentiment received some support from developments on the economic front. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said Pakistan had formally requested a $10 billion Exchange Stabilisation Support Facility from the United States. He said the proposal was intended to strengthen foreign exchange stability and improve confidence in Pakistan’s financial markets, rather than act as a traditional loan facility.
Overseas markets also offered a more supportive backdrop. Global bond markets steadied after the US Treasury announced plans to increase purchases of longer-term government debt. The move helped ease pressure on US Treasury yields and pushed the dollar lower.
Asian equities responded positively, with both the MSCI Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan and Japan’s Nikkei gaining 1.2 percent. US Nasdaq futures were also up 0.5 percent.
Despite Thursday’s recovery, the KSE-100 remained some distance from its 52-week high of 191,032.73 points. The index was still 17.71 percent higher than a year ago and had gained 1.85 percent since the start of 2026.
The day’s trading range stood between 177,244.91 and 178,291.37 points, showing that investors remained active but cautious after the previous day’s heavy decline.
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