PSX moves past 189,000 mark in historic first as bull run continues

KARACHI – The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) maintained its bullish momentum for the third consecutive day, reaching a new milestone of 189,000, driven by strong investor sentiment amid hopes for cut in policy rate.

During intraday trading, the KSE-100 index gained 805.54 points to reach all-time high of 189,427.32 points compared to previous close of 188,621.78 points.

Investor sentiment stayed positive, fueled by rising expectations of a possible interest rate cut. Market participants are now anticipating a 50-basis-point reduction in the upcoming monetary policy review on January 26.

In previous review on December 15, 2025, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had decreased the policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 per cent.

The MPC had noted that inflation on average remained within the target range of 5-7 per cent during July-November FY26, though core inflation is proving to be relatively sticky.

On balance, the inflation outlook remains broadly unchanged, mainly owing to the relatively benign global commodity prices and anchored inflation expectations, amidst a prudent monetary policy stance.

On the previous day, the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) KSE-100 index continued its positive trend, rising by 860.09 points, or 0.46%, to close at 188,621.78 points, up from 187,761.69 points in the prior session, as per PSX data.

The ready market saw a trading volume of 1.226 billion shares, valued at Rs 63.897 billion, compared to 1.199 billion shares worth Rs 63.800 billion in the earlier session.

Among the 487 companies traded, 240 saw an increase in their share prices, 213 experienced declines, and 34 remained unchanged.