PSX surges over 2,000 points as market opens week on strong note

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) began the first trading day of the week on a strong note, as the benchmark KSE-100 index recorded significant early gains on Monday, October 20, 2025. The market opened in the green, reflecting renewed investor confidence and strong buying interest in key sectors.

By 9:32 AM, the KSE-100 index had already climbed 1,541.83 points to reach 165,348.04, with a trading volume of more than 16.5 million shares. The index maintained its upward trend through the morning session and continued to trade mostly in positive territory. Around 1:38 PM, the benchmark index was still up by 1,653.11 points at 165,459.32, as trading volumes crossed 457 million shares.

Market maintains momentum throughout session

As of 2:49 PM, the PSX stood at 165,886.24, showing an impressive rise of 2,080.03 points or 1.27 percent. During the day, the index touched an intraday high of 165,971.74 and a low of 164,281.95. The trading volume at that time reached over 570 million shares.

In terms of longer performance, the benchmark index has surged by 94.59 percent over the past year and has gained 44.09 percent so far in 2025. The KSE-100’s day range was between 164,281.95 and 165,971.74, while the 52-week range stood between 85,120.90 and 169,988.62.

Among the top-performing stocks of the day were PSEL, AGTL, GEMBLUEX, JSGCL, and THCCL, each posting a rise of around 10 percent. Other notable gainers included FPJM, PACE, and TSMF, which also advanced sharply. On the other hand, ANTM, DIIL, SHCM, and AHTM were among the leading decliners, with losses ranging from 7 to 9 percent.

Banking and energy shares lead the rally

In the broader market, strong buying was observed in the banking and energy sectors. Major gainers included PSEL, which rose by 10 percent to Rs1,124.58, followed by Bank of Punjab (BOP) that surged 9.99 percent to Rs39.41. Allied Bank (ABL) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) also contributed to the rally, with gains of over 5 percent.

Other stocks that showed notable upward movement included AKBL, which jumped 9.98 percent, and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), which climbed 3.47 percent. Investors also showed strong interest in GADT, NATF, and Airlink, which gained between 3 and 8 percent.

Meanwhile, on the losing side, companies such as K-Electric (KEL) fell by 5.56 percent to Rs6.97, while Pakistan Oilfields Limited (POL) declined 2.28 percent to Rs631. Several other firms including FFL, PTC, and THALL also slipped slightly but remained within manageable loss margins.

Comparison with previous session

The rally followed a volatile end to the previous trading week when the benchmark KSE-100 index had closed at 163,806.21 on Friday, October 17, showing a decline of 638.50 points or 0.39 percent. That session had seen 36 companies closing higher, 62 lower, and two unchanged.

Market analysts attributed Monday’s strong start to renewed optimism among investors following last week’s correction and expectations of improved corporate earnings. The rebound in large-cap stocks, particularly in the financial and oil sectors, provided a solid lift to the index, setting a positive tone for the rest of the week.