After days of selling pressure, positive sentiments returned at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index staging an impressive recovery following a gain of nearly 3.3% on Wednesday.

The benchmark index opened in positive territory and quickly extended gains during early trade, surging toward the 177,000 level amid strong buying interest.

However, profit-taking was observed during the afternoon session, pushing the index towards the 175,000–175,500 level.

Buying momentum reemerged in the final hours of trading, and the index rallied sharply to hit an intra-day high of 178,974.16.

At close, the KSE-100 Index settled at 178,853.09, an increase of 5,702.68 points or 3.29%.

Support from major heavyweights — UBL, HBL, MEBL, NBP, and MCB — underpinned the market’s performance, jointly adding 2,699 points to the benchmark.

In contrast, POL, PIOC, and AICL weighed on the index, collectively trimming 163 points, brokerage house Topline Securities said in its post-market report.

Pakistan’s current account returned to surplus in January 2026, supported by higher inflows of workers’ remittances.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the current account posted a surplus of $121 million in January 2026, compared with a deficit of $265 million in December 2025.

On a year-on-year basis, the external balance also improved, as it posted a $393 million deficit in January 2025.

On Tuesday, PSX remained under pressure, extending its losing streak as sustained selling by foreign and local participants weighed heavily on equities amid broad-based weakness across the banking, energy, power, and telecom sectors.

The KSE-100 Index declined by 1,303.52 points, or 0.75%, to close at 173,150.42 points.