The bullish momentum at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) showed no signs of slowing on Friday as the KSE-100 Index surged past the 146,000 level in early trade, marking another historic milestone.
At 9:30am, the benchmark index was recorded at 146,337.85 points, up 690.72 points or 0.47% from the previous close. Gains were fuelled by active buying in sectors such as automobiles, oil and gas exploration, oil marketing, and refining. Leading stocks, including ARL, NRL, PSO, SNGPL, SSGC, MARI, OGDC, POL, and PPL, all traded in the green.
Thursday had already been a landmark day, with the index closing at a record 145,647.14 points, boosted by consistent domestic mutual fund buying and sustained investor confidence.
Internationally, Japanese stocks outperformed on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 advancing 2% and the Topix Index crossing the 3,000 mark for the first time, following upbeat earnings reports and speculation that US tariffs on Japanese goods could be eased. SoftBank shares jumped as much as 11% after reporting a return to profit, while Sony added 6% on the back of strong results.
In contrast, broader Asian markets were subdued. MSCI’s Asia-Pacific index outside Japan dropped 0.4%, weighed down by Hong Kong’s sharp losses after a weak close on Wall Street.
In the US, futures indicated another positive session ahead, with S&P 500 e-minis up 0.3% and Nasdaq futures higher by 0.4%, as traders increasingly expect a policy shift at the Federal Reserve.
