ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s stock market rebounded on Friday, with the benchmark index gaining more than 1,600 points, as analysts pointed to cuts in export refinancing rates and lower electricity tariffs for industrial consumers as key drivers of the recovery.

The KSE-100 index rose 1,607.26 points, or 0.88%, to close at 183,945.38, up from 182,338.12 a day earlier, according to Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) data.

The uptick followed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement of a Rs4.4 per unit cut in electricity tariffs for industrial consumers, alongside a reduction in the export refinance rate from 7.5% to 4.5%.

“Stocks staged an early recovery at the PSX on institutional buying in oversold scrips after the prime minister’s assurance to renegotiate the IMF deal, along with cuts in the export refinance rate to 4.5% and industrial power tariffs by Rs4.4 per unit,” Arif Habib Commodities Chief Executive Officer Ahsan Mehanti told Arab News.

He added that higher global crude oil prices and earnings-season speculation also acted as catalysts for bullish activity.

According to local media reports last week, Pakistan is seeking flexibility in IMF lending conditions for the 2026–27 budget and aims to renegotiate its agreement to complete the remaining $7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) by September 2027.

The rebound came a day after Pakistani stocks plunged 6,042.26 points on Thursday, a drop analysts attributed to heavy selling and heightened geopolitical tensions between Iran and the United States.

Those concerns intensified after US President Donald Trump warned Iran this week that “time is running out” to reach a deal on its nuclear program, amid a steady buildup of US military forces in the Gulf.