PSX tops 179,000 as equities extend rally

Index jumps 1.52% as banks, fertiliser stocks lead gains despite foreign selling

KARACHI:

Pakistan equities extended their bullish run at the start of 2026, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index surging 1.52% on Friday to close slightly above 179,000, driven largely by sustained buying from local institutional investors. The rally followed a strong weekly performance marked by gains in banking, fertiliser and energy stocks, while robust fertiliser sales data further boosted investor sentiment. Despite foreign investors remaining net sellers, broad-based participation and heavy trading volumes underscored growing confidence in the market's near-term outlook.

"The rally was once again driven by domestic institutional buying, with broad-based participation across blue-chip stocks, reinforcing the prevailing positive trend," said Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited.

At the close of trading, the benchmark KSE-100 Index posted a gain of 2,679.44 points, or 1.52%, to settle at 179,034.93.

According to Arif Habib Limited (AHL), the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a strong start to 2026, with the KSE-100 Index gaining 3.85% on a week-on-week basis. On Friday, market breadth remained positive as 64 shares closed higher, while 35 declined. United Bank Limited (UBL), Engro Fertilisers (EFERT) and Engro Holdings (ENGROH) were the major contributors to index gains, rising by 4.73%, 10.0% and 2.89%, respectively. In contrast, Lucky Cement (LUCK), Maple Leaf Cement (MLCF) and DG Khan Cement (DGKC) emerged as the biggest drags on the index, shedding 0.54%, 1.09% and 1.16%, respectively.

On the macroeconomic front, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed that Pakistan recorded a trade deficit of $3.7 billion in December 2025. Exports during the month stood at $2.3 billion, reflecting a sharp decline of 20.4% year-on-year and 4.3% month-on-month, while imports rose to $6.0 billion, up 2.0% year-on-year and 13.5% month-on-month. Cumulatively, during the first half of FY26, the trade deficit widened by 34.6% year-on-year to $19.2 billion.

Meanwhile, the government is reportedly considering imposing a levy of up to 5% on the import of mobile phones and electronic devices under a proposed policy framework for 2026–33, a move expected to be positive for Airlink, whose shares gained 1.21%. From a technical perspective, AHL noted that immediate support for the KSE-100 is placed at 175,000 points, while 182,000 points represents the near-term upside target for the coming week.

A Topline Securities market review said the KSE-100 Index continued its bullish momentum, gaining 1.52% to close at 179,039. The rally was attributed to recent buying by local institutions on new allocations. Investor interest was particularly evident in the fertiliser sector, following Topline Securities Limited's report, "Pakistan Fertiliser – Urea sales for Dec 2025 at an all-time high of 1,356,000 tonnes; inventory at 0.31 million tonnes." The fertiliser sector closed 2.7% higher.

The top positive contribution to the index came from UBL, EFERT, ENGROH, PPL, OGDC and FFC, which cumulatively added 1,663 points. In terms of traded value, Bank of Punjab (Rs4.28 billion), PSO (Rs3.98 billion), PPL (Rs3.33 billion), OGDC (Rs3.24 billion), MARI (Rs3.16 billion), HUBC (Rs2.56 billion) and MEBL (Rs2.55 billion) dominated trading activity. Traded volume and value for the day stood at 1.1 billion shares and Rs64 billion, respectively.

Overall trading volume in the Ready Market was recorded at approximately 1.11 billion shares, compared with 1.40 billion in the previous session. The value of shares traded stood at Rs64.34 billion.

Shares of 484 companies were traded in the Ready Market. Of these, 253 stocks closed higher, 201 declined and 30 remained unchanged.

Bank of Punjab was the volume leader, with trading in 102.5 million shares, gaining Rs1.89 to close at Rs42.23. It was followed by K-Electric with 100.09 million shares, losing Rs0.12 to close at Rs6.35, and Media Times Limited with 43.63 million shares, gaining Re1 to close at Rs5.84.

Foreign investors sold shares worth Rs7 billion, according to data released by the National Clearing Company.