Karachi, Pakistan: The KSE-100 Index gained as much as 1,988.63 points on Friday as hopes for a US-Iran deal, lower oil prices, and budget expectations lifted investor sentiment.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange benchmark touched an intraday high of 171,692.23, up 1.17% from Thursday’s close of 169,703.60. Its intraday low stood at 170,946.54, still up 1,242.94 points.
Independent investment and economic analyst AAH Soomro said President Donald Trump’s comments on delaying strikes because a deal was near had improved market sentiment. He said the federal budget remained important for the market’s longer-term direction.
Brent crude futures dropped 1.8% to $88.76 per barrel after falling nearly 3% overnight. Lower oil prices supported sentiment because Pakistan imports much of its energy.
Read: Iran US Deal Reaches Final Approval Stage In Tehran
Asian markets also rose on Friday. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 3.7%, South Korea’s KOSPI rose 7.8%, and Japan’s Nikkei advanced 3.6%.
Investors were also watching the federal budget, scheduled for presentation in the National Assembly at 3 pm. Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb will present the FY2026-27 budget with an estimated outlay of about Rs17.5 trillion.
The government is expected to set a tax revenue target of Rs15.267 trillion, earmark Rs7.824 trillion for debt servicing and propose Rs3 trillion for defence. It is also expected to target Rs1.727 trillion through the petroleum levy.
The market had closed modestly higher on Thursday, with the KSE-100 Index rising 276.16 points, or 0.16%, to 169,703.60 from the previous close of 169,427.44
