A volatile session was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index swinging both ways as investors resorted to profit-taking during the final hours of trading.
The market started on a negative note, shedding over 2,000 points to hit an intra-day low of 162,411.25. However, it recouped sharply and registered an intra-day high of 165,262.85.
Profit-taking was observed in the final hours of the trading session. At close, the benchmark KSE-100 settled at 163,098.19, a decrease of 1,432.61 points or 0.87%.
Selling pressure was noted in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies. Index-heavy stocks, including MARI, OGDC, POL, PPL, PSO, WAFI, MCB, NBP and UBL, traded in the red.
In a key development, the inflow of overseas workers’ remittances into Pakistan stood at $3.2 billion in September 2025, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed on Thursday.
Remittances increased by 11.3% year-on-year (YoY), compared to $2.9 billion recorded in the same month last year. On a monthly basis, remittances were up 1%, compared to $3.1 billion in August.
Moreover, two pivotal memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed, marking significant progress in K-Electric’s ownership and future collaboration framework.
The first MoU was signed for the sale and purchase of shares in KES Power Ltd. The second MoU was signed between K-Electric Limited and Trident Energy Ltd to explore strategic cooperation and investment opportunities in Pakistan’s power sector.
On Thursday, PSX closed on a negative note as broad-based selling pressure erased early gains, dragging key indices lower by the close. The benchmark KSE-100 Index fell 735.94 points, or 0.45%, to settle at 164,530.81.
Globally, Asian stocks limped towards the end of the week on a shaky footing on Friday as declines on Wall Street lingered into early trading, while commodity markets took a breather after their recent charge higher.
Globally, regional markets remain on track for one of their best years in a decade, firmly outstripping gains for US counterparts as President Donald Trump’s package of economic policies and tariffs prompts a surge of orders across the region to meet booming demand for AI-linked technology hardware.
The US trading session marked the point where several “well-subscribed, high-momentum trades”, including gold, silver, crypto, and much of the S&P 500 “finally showed signs of exhaustion,” said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone Group Ltd in Melbourne.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fluctuated between gains and losses, last down 0.2% as its gains for the week hung in the balance, after US stocks ended the previous session with mild declines.
Shares in Hong Kong were down the most, off 1.1%, while the Australian market slid 0.1% against a backdrop of volatile commodity markets. In South Korea, stocks surged 1.7%, extending gains for the region’s best-performing index.
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