KARACHI: Pakistan’s equity market continued to scale record highs with the KSE100 index breaching 60,700 for the first time on Tuesday, making analysts attribute the rally to Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s visit to the United Arab Emirates which has kindled hopes for multibillion-dollar investment inflows into the country.
The KSE100 gained over 918 points to close at 60,730 at the end of the trading session, amid ongoing bullish sentiments accompanying the Pakistan PM’s visit to the Gulf region.
During Kakar’s visit, Pakistan and the UAE signed multibillion-dollar memoranda of understanding (MoUs) across diverse sectors, including energy, port operations, waste water treatment, food security, logistics, minerals, and banking and financial services.
“Today’s rally is fueled by the expectations of the multibillion investment flows from the UAE under the SIFC [Special Investment Facilitation Council] initiatives,” Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Corporation, told Arab News.
The SIFC is a civil-military hybrid forum established in July to fast-track decision-making and promote investment from foreign nations.
Mehanti also pointed to expected inflows of $700 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under a $3 billion short-term financing program, which would help unlock other bilateral financing sources for Pakistan.
He continued that there were expectations of monetary policy ease after the interest rates peaked in recent months.
Analysts have noted that the bullish sentiment at the bourse, which continued to hit record highs, was also fueled by improving macroeconomic indicators.
“Low valuation coupled with foreign buying is supporting this market rally,” Muhammad Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities, commented.
He added that investors were confident that with economic stability in Pakistan, the national currency would also stabilize and interest rates would fall.
“This five-month, 50 percent rally in KSE100 Index is one of the fastest in 20 years,” Sohail continued, noting that the share prices had risen, though the market’s price-to-earnings ratio was still below four times.
Pakistan’s stock market soars past 60,000 points, reaching new high on Gulf investment hopes
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Pakistan’s stock market soars past 60,000 points, reaching new high on Gulf investment hopes
- Analysts say the rally at the market is one of the fastest in 20 years despite a lower price-to-earnings ratio
- The bullish sentiment also owes to the expected inflows of $700 million under the IMF short-term loan
Pakistan stocks hit record as fertilizer sales jump, rate cut hopes build
- KSE-100 jumps 1.5 percent to close above 179,000 points for the first time
- Stocks start 2026 on a strong note amid broad-based institutional buying
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani stocks extended their rally on Friday, with the benchmark index closing above the 179,000-point mark for the first time, driven by strong fertilizer sales data and expectations of further monetary easing by the central bank.
The KSE-100 index rose 2,679.44 points, or 1.52 percent, to close at 179,034.93, compared with its previous close of 176,355.49, according to data from the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).
Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, said buying interest picked up ahead of key corporate earnings due next week, supported by easing inflationary pressures and improving sector-specific data.
“Rupee gains, strong fertilizer sales growth of 34 percent year-on-year in December 2025 and expectations of further policy easing by the State Bank of Pakistan, after headline inflation slowed to 5.6 percent year-on-year, acted as key triggers for bullish activity at the Pakistan Stock Exchange,” he told Arab News.
Fertilizer sales in Pakistan have shown mixed trends in recent months, with overall offtake affected by weak farm economics and seasonal factors. While urea sales declined in some periods, December data showed a sharp rebound, helping lift investor sentiment in the sector.
This has supported fertilizer stocks on the PSX, including Fauji Fertilizer Company, Engro Fertilizers and Fatima Fertilizer, which continue to draw interest due to their market dominance and dividend payouts.
Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Limited, said investors were positioning for another rate cut amid improving macroeconomic indicators.
“Expectations of another rate cut, strong macroeconomic fundamentals and better corporate results are driving the market,” he said.
Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 percent last month, surprising markets after maintaining rates unchanged in its previous four policy meetings. Consumer price inflation eased to 5.6 percent year-on-year in December, while prices declined on a monthly basis.
Friday’s close capped a strong start to 2026 for the PSX, with broad-based institutional buying lifting major sectors and reinforcing investor confidence at the beginning of the year.
