PSX gains nearly 1,380 points in early Friday trade

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a strong recovery during the first half of trading on Friday, with the

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a strong recovery during the first half of trading on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbing nearly 1,380 points before trading was temporarily suspended for the weekly Friday prayer break.

The market opened on a positive note, extending gains throughout the morning session as investors returned to selective buying following recent losses driven by regional geopolitical tensions.

By midday, the KSE-100 Index had risen 1,378 points, or 0.79%, to reach 176,926. During intraday trading, the benchmark touched a high of 177,108.66 before easing slightly. The index also found support around 176,405.33, indicating sustained buying interest across key sectors.

Trading activity remained steady, with more than 101.8 million shares changing hands during the morning session. The total value of traded shares reached approximately Rs6.96 billion, reflecting healthy market participation despite the shortened trading period.

Trading was suspended at midday in line with the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s routine Friday prayer break and was scheduled to resume later in the afternoon.

The market’s rebound followed a volatile trading week shaped by uncertainty in the Middle East and fluctuations in global oil prices. Investors appeared to set aside concerns over rising regional tensions and instead focused on attractive valuations in selected stocks.

On Thursday, the benchmark index had closed at 175,547.98 after selling pressure weighed on investor sentiment. Friday’s recovery helped the market regain a significant portion of those losses.

Broader market performance also remained positive, with the All-Share Index and several sectoral indices posting gains during the morning session.

Market participants are expected to closely monitor both domestic economic developments and geopolitical events in the Middle East as trading resumes, with investors assessing their potential impact on market sentiment in the coming sessions.