KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recorded a strong recovery on Monday amid an ease in the global trade war and upbeat remittances data. The benchmark KSE-100 index surged by 1,537 points following the US exemption of smartphones and computers from new tariffs.

The benchmark KSE-100 index surged by 1,536.7 points, or 1.34 per cent, to 116,390.04 points, up from the 114,853.33 points recorded in the last session. The highest index of the day remained at 116,494.2 points, while the lowest level was recorded at 115,246.21 points.

Ahsan Mehanti, an analyst at Arif Habib Corp, said, “Stocks rallied at the PSX in the earnings season led by scrips across the board after the SBP chief reports upbeat data on $4.1 billion record remittances in March.” He said that a bull run in global equities, a surge in global crude oil prices and the government’s decision to avoid retaliation on US tariff levies played a catalyst role in the bullish close in the earnings season at the PSX.

The KSE-30 index increased by 479.12 points or 1.36 per cent to 35,696.26 points from 35,217.14 points. Traded shares increased by 26 million shares to 484.547 million shares from 458.589 million shares. The trading value dropped to Rs27.43 billion from Rs31.628 billion. Market capital expanded to Rs14.252 trillion against Rs14.114 trillion. Of the 455 companies active in the session, 247 closed in green, 145 in red and 63 remained unchanged. Analyst Maaz Mulla at Topline Securities said bulls stood strong in the trading session as the benchmark index posted a robust gain. “The upbeat momentum was largely driven by better-than-expected inward remittance figures, which significantly bolstered investor sentiment,” he said.

Further support came from a broadly positive trend across regional markets, which encouraged local investors to re-enter and build fresh positions across key sectors. Much of the positive momentum was driven by notable gains in heavyweight stocks, with UBL, LUCK, HUBC, ENGROH, and EFERT collectively contributing a substantial 1,178 points to the index.

In terms of traded value, LUCK (Rs1.7 billion), HUBC (Rs1.6 billion), MARI (Rs1.5 billion), PSO (Rs867 million), and PAEL (Rs816 million) emerged as the most actively traded counters. The highest increase was recorded in PIA Holding Company Limited B, which rose by Rs132.95 to Rs1,462.40 per share, followed by Nestle Pakistan Limited, which increased by Rs102.48 to Rs7,173.33 per share. A significant decline was noted in Hoechst Pakistan Limited, which fell by Rs88.96 to Rs3,233.01 per share; Indus Motor Company Limited followed it, which closed lower by Rs19.52 to Rs1,999.51 per share.

Muhammad Hasan Ather, an analyst at JS Global, said the rally was fuelled by broad-based buying across multiple sectors, with heavyweight stocks like HUBCO, OGDC, and banking leaders driving gains.

“The market rebounded as global sentiment improved following the US exemption of smartphones and computers from new tariffs,” he said. “Looking ahead, the momentum appears sustainable if global markets remain stable, though upcoming economic data and any further trade police announcements will be crucial.”

Cnergyico PK remained the volume leader with 55.091 million shares, which closed higher by 23 paisas to Rs8.64 per share. Pak Int. Bulk, with 45.232 million shares, followed it, which closed higher by 50 paisas to Rs10.86 per share.

Other significant turnover stocks included Sui South Gas, BO Punjab, Pak Elektron, Dewan Cement, K-Electric Ltd, WorldCall Telecom, Pak Stock Exchange and Hub Power Co. In the futures market, 325 companies recorded trading, 229 of which increased, 93 decreased, and 3 remained unchanged.