Buying rally continued at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as strong corporate results boosted confidence and attracted robust investor participation, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing the 157,000 level for the first time during trading on Tuesday.
At 2:15pm, the benchmark index was hovering at 156,601.76, an increase of 514.46 points or 0.33%.
During trading, the KSE-100 hit an intra-day high of 157,088.80.
Buying interest was shown in key sectors including cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation and refinery. Index-heavy stocks, including HUBCO, ARL, MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, MEBL, NBP and UBL, traded in the green.
In a key development, Pakistan and the United States (US) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $500 million to strengthen cooperation in the critical minerals sector, marking a step toward deeper economic and strategic engagement between the two countries.
The MoU was signed between US Strategic Metals (USSM) and Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) at Prime Minister House on Monday, according to a statement from the US embassy.
Moreover, the inflow of overseas workers’ remittances into Pakistan stood at $3.1 billion in August 2025, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed on Monday.
On Monday, PSX opened the week on a powerful bullish wave, surging to an all-time closing high as the benchmark KSE-100 index surged by 1,810 points, or 1.17%, to finish the session at 156,087.31.
Internationally, Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, buoyed by expectations of a US rate cut as early as next week, even as political upheavals around the world kept currency and bond investors on edge.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.2% in early trade, taking its cue from Wall Street’s positive lead overnight that saw the Nasdaq notch a record-high close.
Nasdaq futures extended the rally from the cash session and were last up 0.06%, while S&P 500 futures similarly ticked up 0.05%.
Breathing new life into the equities rally were expectations that the Federal Reserve would ease rates when it meets next week, following Friday’s dismal US jobs report.
While consumer and producer price inflation data remain on deck in the week ahead, investors are betting that a 25-basis-point cut this month is a done deal, with focus now on whether the Fed could deliver a larger 50bp move.
This is an intra-day update
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