KSE-100 index surges to 173,939.01 points after registering a rise of 4027.06 points or 2.37%
\n islamabad
\nStocks rose on Friday as investors chased the upside on fresh optimism that a deal to end the Middle East war could be within reach, with risk appetite further lifted by hopes of a wider diplomatic thaw.
\nThe Pakistan Stock Exchange\u2019s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 closed at 173,939.01 points after registering a rise of 4027.06 points or 2.37%, up from the previous close of 169,911.95 points.
\nThe index traded between a high of 174,404.03, up 4,492.08 points, and a low of 170,758.25, up 846.37 points or 0.50% versus the previous close of 169,911.95.
\n\u201cThe expectations of a deal in the Middle East, and the constant diplomatic shuffle, are creating a sense of FOMO among investors, who are rushing back to build positions ahead of the possible good news,\u201d said Ahfaz Mustafa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ismail Iqbal Securities, speaking to Geo.tv.
\nSentiment improved after US President Donald Trump struck an upbeat tone, saying it was \u201clooking very good\u201d that Washington could make a deal with Iran and that talks could resume this weekend.
\nHe also claimed the deal would include the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran has given no public indication it would surrender its enriched uranium stockpile.
\nUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth took a tougher line earlier, warning that if Iran \u201cchooses poorly\u201d it would face a blockade and strikes on infrastructure.
\nBloomberg reported that some Gulf Arab and European leaders fear a durable agreement could take months and have called for the truce to be extended, pressing for Hormuz to reopen quickly amid concerns about broader economic fallout.
\nMarkets also drew some comfort from a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect on Thursday, although the durability of the arrangement remains uncertain.
\nOn the domestic front, Pakistan\u2019s current account surplus rose to $1.07 billion in March from $231 million in February, supported by lower goods and services trade deficits and robust remittances, according to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data released on Thursday.
\nThe surplus fell 16% year-on-year, and on a cumulative basis Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of $8 million in 9MFY26, down from $1.674 billion in the same period of FY25.
\nThe data followed Pakistan\u2019s receipt of funds from Saudi Arabia, which has helped shore up foreign exchange buffers ahead of an upcoming loan repayment to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
\nIn the previous session on Thursday, the index rose 1,392.01 points (0.83%) to close at 169,911.95, after touching an intraday high of 170,899.16 and a low of 168,941.31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KSE-100 index surges to 173,939.01 points after registering a rise of 4027.06 points or 2.37% islamabad Stocks rose on Friday as investors chased the upside on fresh optimism that a deal to end the Middle East war could be within reach, with risk appetite further lifted by hopes of a wider diplomatic thaw. The Pakistan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-542426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n