Pakistan Stock Exchange greets 2026 by surpassing 176,000 mark

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) greeted 2026 with a bull-run on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 2,300 points during the hectic trading sessions, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The PSX 100 Index closed at 176335, up 2301 points. For the first time in history, PSX index reached 176658 during trading. The 100 Index had closed at 174054 yesterday.

At about 12:10 pm, the PSX’s benchmark index was hovering at 176,008.54, a gain of 1,954.32 points or 1.11 percent. However, by the close of day, the index settled for 176,355.49 points, a gain of 2,301.17 points or 1.30 percent. Out of 565 companies traded so far, share prices of 337 companies were up, 116 down while 112 remained unchanged.

Buying interest was observed in key sectors, including commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies and OMCs. Index-heavy stocks, including OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, MCB and UBL, traded in the green. 

On a fiscal front, the Fedeal Board of Revenue (FBR) provisionally collected Rs6,154 billion during the first six months (July-December) 2025-26 against the target of Rs6,490 billion, reflecting a shortfall of Rs336 billion.

The shortfall in revenue collection during December 2025 may prompt the government to activate contingency measures as agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

On Wednesday, the stock exchange closed lower after profit-taking on the last trading day of the year was set in. The index decreased by 418.45 points to settle at 174,054.32 points.
 

Reporter Kavish Memon