PSX Today Reaches New Heights After Budget Announcement

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) today witnessed a significant surge following the federal budget 2025-26 announcement, with the KSE 100 index gaining 2,328.24 points to close at 124,352.68. This marks a 1.91% increase from the previous close of 122,024.44, pushing the index to its highest level on record.

The KSE 30 index also advanced by 729.24 points to reach 37,631.84, registering a 1.98% gain. Intraday highs touched 124,588.17 for the KSE 100 and 37,724.28 for the KSE 30.

Analysts said that investor sentiment remained positive throughout the trading session due to the government’s decision to keep the capital gains tax unchanged at 15% and impose higher taxes on interest income. This shift redirected investor preference from fixed-income instruments to equities.

In the ready market, 283 companies closed positive, 157 declined, and 38 remained unchanged out of 478 total. In the futures market, 234 companies posted gains, 77 declined, and 3 remained unchanged out of 314 total.

Market capitalization rose to PKR 14.99 trillion from the previous PKR 14.76 trillion. Total turnover in the ready market increased to 1.04 billion shares from 592.9 million. Traded value more than doubled to PKR 46.7 billion from PKR 21.8 billion. In the futures segment, turnover reached 241.7 million shares with a traded value of PKR 14.06 billion.

Top turnover contributors included:

• Pervez Ahmed Co (78.2M shares) – closed at PKR 2.00
• WorldCall Telecom (74.03M shares) – closed at PKR 1.45
• Sui South Gas (45.3M shares) – closed at PKR 38.11
• PIA Holding Co (43.7M shares) – closed at PKR 20.40
• Fauji Foods Ltd (36.03M shares) – closed at PKR 16.57
• K-Electric Ltd (34.9M shares) – closed at PKR 5.55
• Fauji Cement (33.4M shares) – closed at PKR 46.07
• Dewan Cement (26.4M shares) – closed at PKR 15.11
• Invest Bank (22.2M shares) – closed at PKR 5.14
• Aisha Steel Mill (19.1M shares) – closed at PKR 12.44

Notable gainers:

• Rafhan Maize Products Co. Ltd – increased by PKR 117.58 to close at PKR 9,830.52
• Hoechst Pakistan Ltd – increased by PKR 96.07 to close at PKR 3,307.07

Notable losers:

• PIA Holding Company LimitedB – decreased by PKR 2,591.10 to close at PKR 23,319.89
• Khyber Textile Mills Ltd – decreased by PKR 246.16 to close at PKR 2,215.49

Market participants responded positively to the fiscal consolidation measures in the budget, targeting a 3.9% fiscal deficit and a 2.4% primary surplus. Sectoral gains were observed across cement, banking, power, and oil marketing companies.

Analysts noted that keeping CGT unchanged while taxing interest income favors equity investments, contributing to the bullish momentum.

The PSX today reflected broad-based participation and high liquidity, setting the tone for near-term market direction. KSE 100 index today remains a key indicator to watch following the budget’s economic signals.