Overview
- The benchmark closed at 176,355.49, up 2,301.17 points or 1.32%, setting a new all-time high.
- The index reached an intraday peak near 176,132 after clearing 176,000, reversing from Dec. 31’s 174,054.32 close.
- Brokers cited a positive official outlook, fresh institutional inflows and accelerating privatisation, with a cabinet committee backing an AHC-led bid for 75% of PIA pending federal approval.
- Officials highlighted easing inflation, stronger external buffers and a 2026 IPO pipeline, while banks and energy stocks drove the session’s gains.
- For 2025, AHL reported a 51% KSE-100 return and three-year cumulative dollar gains of 249%, alongside a roughly PKR 5,993 billion rise in market capitalization to about PKR 19.7 trillion.