The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its gains on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index rising more than 1,400 points in intraday trading as buying continued across key sectors.
At around 1:19pm, the index had climbed 1,458.71 points, or 0.88 percent, to 166,876.21. Trading volume stood at 114.23 million shares at the time.
The rally followed an earlier rise of more than 900 points. At 11am, the benchmark was trading at 166,330.33, up 912.83 points, or 0.55 percent, from the previous close of 165,417.50.
Buying remained visible in automobile assemblers, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies and power generation firms. Major index constituents, including HUBCO, OGDCL, POL, HBL, MCB, MEBL, NBP and UBL, were trading in positive territory.
Refinery stocks also attracted investor interest. Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) was trading at Rs103.60, up Rs4.41, or 4.45 percent. Pakistan Telecommunication Company (PTC) gained Rs3.99, or 7.80 percent, to Rs55.15.
Among actively traded shares, Cnergyico (CNERGY) rose 0.79 percent to Rs12.81, while WorldCall Telecom (WTL) gained 2.08 percent to Rs0.98. Gul Ahmed Textile Mills (GATM) was not listed among the provided active stocks, while Ghani Chemical Industries (GCIL) rose 5.83 percent to Rs33.05.
The broader market also saw sharp gains in several stocks. United Capital Asset Management (UCAPM) climbed 10.04 percent to Rs10.96, while Ghandhara Tyre and Rubber (GTYR) advanced 10.02 percent to Rs29.87. Pak Gulf Leasing (PKGI), Kohinoor Power (KOHP) and Khyber Tobacco (KOIL) were among the other reported advancers, each gaining around 10 percent.
However, losses persisted in several shares. LSE Financial Services (LSEFSLR) fell 17.89 percent to Rs0.78, while Macpac Films (MACFL) and Dadex Eternit (DAAG) each dropped 10 percent. Cenari Iron and Steel (CENIR) also lost 10 percent, closing the list of notable decliners in the available market data.
The gains followed Wednesday’s recovery, when the KSE-100 Index rose 641.07 points, or 0.39 percent, to settle at 165,417.51. Refinery stocks and other energy-related shares helped support the market, although investors remained cautious due to a lack of fresh domestic triggers and continued geopolitical uncertainty.
The advance at the PSX came as global equities faced renewed pressure following stronger-than-expected US inflation data for September.
Asian markets fell on Thursday as investors assessed the impact of rising consumer prices on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan declined 1.2 percent, while South Korea’s KOSPI dropped 5.6 percent. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.3 percent.
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