Shares of 324 corporations had been traded. On the finish of the day, 90 shares closed greater, 211 declined and 23 remained unchanged. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The Pakistan Inventory Alternate (PSX) rebounded sharply on Friday because the benchmark KSE-100 index climbed over 1,800 factors to shut above 184,100, after touching an intraday excessive of 186,619 factors, with beneficial properties pushed by heavy shopping for in index-heavy shares amid enhancing geopolitical alerts, easing macroeconomic considerations and renewed investor curiosity throughout key sectors, regardless of profit-taking at greater ranges and lingering warning over regional tensions.
“The index took a breather at this time, surging to an intraday excessive of 186,619 factors (+4,281 factors); nonetheless, beneficial properties had been pared again resulting from profit-taking at elevated ranges,” mentioned Nawaz Ali of JS International.
On the shut of buying and selling, the benchmark KSE-100 index posted a acquire of 1,836.37 factors, or 1.01%, to settle at 184,174.49.
JS International famous that investor sentiment remained cautious amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. Consequently, the benchmark index closed at 184,174, up 1,836 factors. Whereas valuations seem interesting, it beneficial a wait-and-see method, as any antagonistic geopolitical improvement may weigh on market sentiment.
Market sentiment improved following optimistic geopolitical developments, with official statements from each the USA and Iran signalling willingness to have interaction in dialogue and keep away from escalation, mentioned Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Buying and selling at Arif Habib Restricted (AHL).
AHL famous a restoration on Friday, with the market posting a 1.01% day-on-day acquire, trimming weekly losses to 2.76%. Within the remaining session of the week, 72 shares superior whereas 28 declined. LUCK PA (+3.55%), ENGROH PA (+2.72%) and UBL PA (+1.46%) contributed essentially the most to index beneficial properties, whereas FFC PA (-1.48%), MCB PA (-1.36%) and POL PA (-1.43%) emerged as the largest drags.
Kicking off 2026, headline inflation in January CY26 is predicted to settle at 5.8% year-on-year, barely greater than 5.6% in December 2025 and effectively above 2.4% recorded in January 2025. Core inflation (NFNE) for January 2026 is projected at 7.3% year-on-year, moderating from 9.0% in January 2025. In the meantime, the State Financial institution of Pakistan’s overseas trade reserves elevated by $13 million through the week ended January 23, 2026, reaching $16.101 billion, whereas whole liquid overseas reserves stood at $21.293 billion.
On the exterior entrance, oil futures surged to close six-month highs amid considerations over a possible US army strike on Iran, which stays a key near-term threat for equities. For the approaching week, AHL expects the market to commerce throughout the 180,000-190,000 vary.
Prime optimistic contributions to the index got here from ENGROH, LUCK, UBL, MEBL, MARI and HBL, cumulatively including 1,197 factors. Worth-wise, FFC, PPL, OGDC, NBP and PTC dominated buying and selling. Investor curiosity was noticed within the textile sector after the prime minister introduced a 300-basis-point reduce within the Export Finance Scheme price to 4.5%.
Complete traded quantity stood at 805.14 million shares, whereas the worth of shares traded amounted to Rs50.83 billion. Shares of 484 corporations had been traded, with 258 closing greater, 175 decrease and 51 unchanged. Okay-Electrical led volumes, adopted by Hascol Petrol and WorldCall Telecom. Overseas buyers bought shares value Rs1.3 billion, the Nationwide Clearing Firm reported.
