Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) made history on the second trading day of 2026 as the benchmark KSE 100 Index crossed the 177,000 and then 178,000 points level for the first time ever during early trading on Friday.
According to reports, at 11:30 am, the KSE 100 Index rose by 2,302.31 points, or 1.29 percent, to reach 178,657.80 points. Strong buying was seen in automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertilizer, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing companies, power generation firms, and the refinery sector. Shares of Hubco, ARL, Mari, OGDCL, PPL, POL, PSO, HBL, NBP, and UBL were all trading in the positive zone.
According to the Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan’s year on year inflation rate stood at 5.6 percent in December 2025, which was within the Ministry of Finance’s projected range of 5.5 to 6.5 percent.
Meanwhile, the State Bank reported that Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves reached 21.012 billion dollars as of December 26, 2025, showing a slight decrease from 21.023 billion dollars recorded a week earlier on December 19.
It is worth noting that on Thursday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange began 2026 with strong momentum, with broad based buying across the market. The KSE 100 Index closed at a record high of 176,355.49 points after gaining 2,301.17 points, or 1.32 percent.
Globally, the start of 2026 was positive for stock markets. In Asia, markets in Japan and China were closed, while others reopened after New Year holidays. The MSCI index rose by 0.66 percent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1.24 percent. S&P 500 futures increased by 0.29 percent and Nasdaq futures traded 0.36 percent higher.
