Stocks hit a record high on Friday, with the benchmark index topping the 82,000 mark as investors binged on big names amid forecasts of a further drop in inflation, strengthening the case for another rate cut by the State Bank of Pakistan in its next monetary policy meeting, traders said.
The KSE-100 index jumped by 615.16 points, or 0.76%, to reach 82,074.44 from its previous close of 81,459.28.
The index, fuelled by buying activity in heavyweight shares, rallied nearly 900 points during the opening hours of trading before succumbing to profit-taking in the latter half of the session, trimming early gains.
Analysts attributed this bull run to expectations of a sharp drop in inflation and interest rates. They added that government securities now have a kinked yield curve, with 2-year and 5-year yields above the 3-year yield.
Buying activity was seen in key sectors, including cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, and refineries, with index-heavy stocks such as MEBL, UBL, ENGRO, and FFC trading in the green.
Experts added that part of the positivity comes from investors anticipating the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board’s approval.
The IMF is scheduled to review Pakistan’s 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF), amounting to about $7 billion, on September 25.
On Thursday, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rose on improved local macroeconomic indicators and a larger-than-expected reduction by the Federal Reserve, with the KSE-100 index closing at 81,459.29, a gain of 997.95 points or 1.24%.
Meanwhile, world stocks hovered near record highs on Friday, underpinned by a big interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve earlier this week, while the yen eased after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda tempered market expectations around imminent rate hikes, according to Reuters.
The dollar climbed 1.2% on the Japanese currency to 144.29 – its strongest in two weeks – on the back of Ueda’s remarks, having earlier fallen around 0.6% to 141.74 after the BOJ kept interest rates steady in a widely expected move.
