PSX doubles investor wealth in a year, closes at record high

The bulls kept a firm grip on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday, propelling the benchmark KSE-100 Index to an all-time closing high of 163,847 points, up 1,590 points, after touching an intraday peak of 1,646 points.

The surge capped a remarkable year for investors, as the index has delivered a 101% return over the past 12 months — effectively doubling investments for those who entered the market a year ago.

Aggressive buying from local mutual funds fueled Monday’s rally, though overall market activity slowed compared with the previous session. Trading volumes clocked in at 1.28 billion shares with a traded value of PKR 65.7 billion.

Analysts at a local brokerage attributed the optimism to improving Pakistan-US relations and key economic reforms. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb hailed the successful resolution of PKR 1,225 billion in power sector circular debt as a decisive step toward restoring fiscal discipline, investor confidence, and energy sector sustainability.

Adding to the positive sentiment, Pakistan’s industrial revival gained momentum as Large-Scale Manufacturing surged 8.99% year-on-year in July 2025 — the fastest pace in 37 months — while also growing 2.6% month-on-month at the start of FY26