Selective buying lifts PSX after mid-session fall

The Pakistan Stock Exchange ended Tuesday higher after a mid-session slide, with renewed buying erasing earlier losses, according to The Express Tribune. The benchmark KSE-100 closed 0.15 per cent up, adding 248.92 points to finish at 171,402.08. The index had touched an intra-day peak of 171,680.74 before dipping to 170,866.94.

Hopes for progress in efforts to end the US-Iran conflict drew investors back, while lower crude prices eased inflation worries. Brent fell below $100 to around $98, and reports that Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington lifted its blockade added to sentiment. Oil and gas exploration, cement and power shares carried the gains, whereas commercial banks and fertiliser stocks lagged.

Sitara Petroleum Service reported FY26 earnings of Rs4,976 million, up 69 per cent, though its 4QFY26 profit fell 10 per cent to Rs570 million. The company also declared a final cash dividend of Rs1 per share, bringing its FY26 payout to 34 per cent. Overall, 226 stocks advanced and 221 declined, with volumes at 641.8 million shares, down from 692.9 million on Monday, while foreign investors bought Rs323.7 million of shares.