KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) opened on a strong note on Tuesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining more than 600 points as investors returned to buying across major sectors.
By 9:35am, the KSE-100 Index had climbed 643.38 points, or 0.36%, to 177,610.06.
Buying interest was seen across several major sectors, including automobiles, cement, commercial banking, oil and gas exploration, oil marketing and power.
Several heavyweight stocks also traded higher during early dealings, providing support to the benchmark index. These included HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, MCB, MEBL and NBP.
Market sentiment was also supported by the latest development from Moody’s Ratings, which upgraded Pakistan’s local and foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to B3 from Caa1.
The ratings upgrade was viewed by investors as a positive signal for Pakistan’s credit outlook and contributed to improved sentiment in the domestic equity market.
The strong opening came after the previous trading session ended in negative territory. Late-session profit-taking erased most of the market’s earlier gains, leaving the KSE-100 Index down 199.84 points, or 0.11%, at 176,966.69.
Despite the positive opening in Pakistan, international markets remained under pressure. Asian equities declined amid falling oil prices and uncertainty surrounding possible US sanctions on Iran.
Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s Kospi also recorded notable losses, while the MSCI Asia-Pacific index excluding Japan moved lower.
Investors globally are also keeping a close watch on Nvidia’s upcoming results, with markets expecting a significant increase in quarterly revenue. Weak sentiment surrounding major technology companies, including Alibaba and Samsung Electronics, has added to uncertainty in international markets.
Despite mixed global signals, strong buying in key Pakistani sectors and the recent Moody’s ratings upgrade helped the local stock market maintain a positive tone during early trading.
Investors will now be watching whether the KSE-100 can sustain its gains throughout the session or whether profit-taking emerges later in the day.
📊 Key Market Figures
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| KSE-100 early gain | 643.38 points |
| Early percentage gain | 0.36% |
| Early index level | 177,610.06 |
| Previous close | 176,966.69 |
| Previous session change | -199.84 points |
| Previous session percentage | -0.11% |
