The upward trend at the Pakistan Stock Exchange continues, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossed the historic level of 189,000 points during the early trading session on Wednesday.
According to reports, by 11:00 am the KSE-100 Index had risen by 767.47 points, or 0.41 percent, to reach 189,389.25 points. Strong buying interest was seen in key sectors including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertilizers, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, and refineries. Major stocks such as ARL, K-Electric, Mari Petroleum, OGDC, PPL, PSO, SNGPL, SSGC, HBL, MCB, NBP, and UBL were also trading in positive territory.
Sources said that analysts attributed the bullish momentum mainly to buying by local mutual funds. In another significant development, the repatriation of profits and dividends by foreign investors increased by 27 percent during the first half of the current fiscal year, reflecting a faster outflow of income from Pakistan. According to sources, the State Bank of Pakistan reported on Tuesday that foreign companies operating in the country remitted 1.559 billion dollars in profits and dividends abroad during July to December of fiscal year 2026, compared to 1.226 billion dollars in the same period last year.
It is worth noting that on Tuesday, the KSE-100 Index closed at 188,621.78 points after gaining 860.09 points, or 0.46 percent.
Meanwhile, at the global level, Asian stock markets remained under pressure for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, while Wall Street recorded a decline of more than 2 percent overnight. The US dollar also suffered its biggest drop in over a month. This situation pushed investors toward safe-haven assets such as gold and silver, resulting in both metals reaching record high prices.
