KARACHI: Pakistan’s stock market closed sharply higher on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining 1,646 points to settle at 170,511.
The index had fallen as much as 2,724 points during the session, touching an intraday low of 166,141 before recovering as investors returned to the market at lower levels.
A total of 687.4 million shares changed hands in 569 companies, with trades worth Rs33 billion recorded during the session. Shares of 248 companies gained, while 210 declined.
The KSE-100 Index had closed at 168,865 points in the previous session.
Market experts attributed the recovery to renewed buying at lower levels and hopes for an improvement in the situation in the Middle East, which provided support to investor sentiment.
Earlier, Pakistan’s capital market achieved a historic milestone during Financial Year 2025-26, as stock market investor accounts increased by 48%, the highest-ever annual growth recorded in the country’s capital market.
The number of stock market investors increased from 392,775 on July 1, 2025, to 583,052 as of June 30, 2026, with the addition of 190,277 new investors. The growth reflects increasing public confidence, improved market access and rising interest in investment opportunities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), in collaboration with Capital Market Infrastructure Institutions (CMIIs) including the National Clearing Company of Pakistan (NCCPL), Central Depository Company (CDC) and Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), introduced several reforms to make account opening easier and promote financial inclusion.
Key reforms include increasing the Sahulat Account limit from Rs. 1 million to Rs. 3 million, removing duplicate requirements for investors opening accounts through banks, digital banks and Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs), introducing IBAN-based verification, and launching Minor Trading Accounts that enable individuals below 18 years of age to invest through their guardians.
