The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) remained firmly in positive territory on Wednesday, with investors continuing to buy shares across major sectors and pushing the benchmark KSE-100 Index higher during midday trading.
The market got off to a strong start and briefly climbed to an intraday high of 182,610.70 points. Around 11:34am, the benchmark index was up by 2,309 points at 182,610.70, while trading activity remained brisk with more than 190 million shares changing hands.
Although the index gave up part of its early gains as the session progressed, buying interest remained intact. By 12pm, the KSE-100 was trading at 182,471.67, up 2,169.97 points, or 1.20 percent.
At 12:59pm, the benchmark index was standing at 182,153.09, showing a gain of 1,851.39 points, or 1.03 percent, with total traded volume rising to more than 296 million shares.
Market participants continued to favour several heavyweight sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies and power generation firms. Strong performances from index-heavy stocks such as ARL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, MCB, NBP and UBL helped keep the benchmark index comfortably in the green.
Among the most actively traded stocks, Bank of Punjab, Pakistan Telecommunication Company, Pakistan International Airlines Holding Company and WorldCall Telecom recorded gains, while K-Electric and Pakistan International Bulk Terminal traded lower.
Several stocks also posted sharp advances during the session. BLUEX led the gainers with a rise of more than 12 percent, while FFLM, ASTM, TPLI, JATM, FPRM and FRCL each climbed around 10 percent. On the losing side, FTSM recorded the biggest decline of the session, dropping 10 percent, followed by IDSM, JSIL and MZNPETF.
The latest rally comes after the PSX wrapped up fiscal year 2025-26 with one of its strongest annual performances in recent years. The KSE-100 Index gained 44 percent over the fiscal year, ending the final trading session at 180,301 points compared with 125,627 points at the close of the previous fiscal year. Analysts have linked the sustained rally to improving macroeconomic conditions under the IMF-backed reform programme, which has helped strengthen investor confidence.
Meanwhile, global markets adopted a more cautious tone on Wednesday as renewed uncertainty over diplomatic talks in the Middle East and rising US Treasury yields weighed on investor sentiment. Asian equities traded mixed, with investors also awaiting comments from Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh later in the day for clues on the outlook for US interest rates.
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