Another bullish week as stocks flirt with 180,000-milestone

The KSE-100 rose 3,987 points, or 2.29 per cent, over the week to finish Friday at 177,873.88, Dawn reported. It briefly moved above 180,000, reaching 180,769, before profit-taking and political uncertainty pulled it back; the weekly low was 176,292.

Lower international oil prices helped ease inflation concerns and supported buying, while Topline Securities also cited improved sentiment around prospects for reduced Middle East tensions. Brent crude was around $96.10 a barrel by Friday, and October remittances increased 14pc year-on-year to $3.9bn. The fiscal surplus for the first quarter of FY27 was Rs1,274bn, down 40pc from a year earlier.

Exploration and production stocks added 1,058 points to the index, with banks contributing 1,036 and cement companies 545. Mari Petroleum was the largest individual contributor, followed by United Bank, Lucky Cement, Pakistan Petroleum and Habib Bank; National Bank was the biggest drag. AHL described the outlook as cautiously optimistic, conditional on stable international oil prices.