The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a remarkable turnaround on Friday as optimism surged following reports that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to resume peace talks in Istanbul and extend the ceasefire. The benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed by nearly 3,700 points in the second half of the trading session, closing around 160,394.47 — a gain of 3,661.60 points or 2.34%.
Buying interest returned across key sectors including automobiles, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration, power generation, and refineries. Index-heavy stocks such as HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SSGC, and SNGPL all traded in the green, contributing to the market’s upward momentum.
Market analyst Waqas Ghani of JS Global said that investor sentiment improved significantly after the ceasefire extension and upcoming peace talks reduced regional geopolitical tensions. “The development has eased regional concerns, boosting confidence and driving renewed buying,” he noted, though he added that weaker corporate results have limited some of the enthusiasm.
Turkey’s foreign ministry confirmed that Pakistan and Afghanistan will meet on November 6 in Istanbul to discuss the ceasefire modalities, with mediation from Turkiye and Qatar.
Globally, positive investor sentiment was also reflected in international markets as Asian shares extended their monthly gains, bolstered by strong earnings reports from Amazon and Apple that lifted Wall Street futures.
