The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed strong buying activity in the post-Eid trading session on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index posting gains of more than 857 points during the first half of the session.
By 11 am, the benchmark index stood at 172,582.76 points, showing an increase of 857.47 points, or 0.50%.
Investor interest remained strong across key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, oil and gas exploration, oil marketing companies, and power generation. Major index-weighted stocks such as HUBCO, MARI, POL, HBL, and NBP traded in positive territory, supporting the upward momentum.
Earlier in the week, the market had staged a sharp rebound, driven by optimism over ongoing US–Iran negotiations, a decline in global oil prices, and strong pre-Eid buying activity. In that session, the benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 171,725.29 points, rising by 3,881.05 points or 2.31%.
On the global front, equity markets hovered near record levels on Friday, while crude oil futures were on track for their steepest weekly decline in nearly two months. Sentiment was shaped by expectations of progress toward the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside developments linked to a US–Iran ceasefire extension.
International reports suggested that Washington and Tehran had reached an understanding to extend the ceasefire and ease restrictions on maritime trade, although final approval from US President Donald Trump remained pending. Iranian state media, however, indicated that no final agreement had yet been reached.
