The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed strong bullish momentum during Friday’s midday session as the benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed over 1,443 points, or 0.87%, to trade around 166,961.

The index touched an intraday high of 168,290 before settling in positive territory, reflecting robust buying interest across key sectors following record gains, a day earlier, triggered by easing geopolitical tensions and hopes of regional stability.

By midday, market volume stood at approximately 181.6 million shares with a traded value of Rs17.76 billion. Of 565 active scrips, 367 advanced, 98 declined, and 100 remained unchanged, indicating optimism among investors.

Read: PSX closes above 165,000 points amid geopolitical tensions, rising oil prices

Sectors such as textiles, fertilisers, oil and gas, along with banks, saw notable activity, with several scrips posting healthy gains.

Analysts attributed the rally to continued positive sentiment after Wednesday’s historic surge of over 14,000 points, driven by global peace developments and improved macroeconomic cues. Local investors, along with institutional buying, supported the uptrend, though some profit-taking was visible at higher levels.

Market participants remain cautiously optimistic, eyeing upcoming corporate earnings and external factors for further direction. Volatility may persist in the second half of the session as traders lock in gains near resistance levels.