Overview

• The benchmark surged to fresh intraday highs above 168,000 on Thursday after a choppy prior close at 165,640.34.
• The move followed Pakistan’s timely Eurobond repayment, stronger external buffers cited by officials, and renewed liquidity from mutual funds.
• Trading remained unusually heavy, with the previous session’s 1.64 billion shares marking what AHL described as only the second billion‑plus day in two decades.
• Banks, fertilisers and energy led performance, with Mari Energies, Meezan Bank and Fatima Fertiliser lifting the index as Engro Holdings, Hub Power and HBL lagged.
• Risks linger as September inflation rose to about 5.6%, the ADB kept growth at 3%, and IMF disclosures pointed to roughly $1 billion in flood‑related export losses.