Daily market digest, analysis, and deep dives on Pakistan's investment landscape
KSE-100 Surges 412 Points
Benchmark index closes at 89,234 on cement and banking rally.
SBP Reserves Rise to $10.2B
Foreign exchange reserves cross $10B mark for first time since 2022.
Bitcoin Crosses $95,000
Crypto rally continues with institutional buying momentum.

KSE-100 closed the 22 May session in the 167,500-169,600 intraday range, down 3.6% YTD but up 40.9% on the year. Mid-May saw a single-session 9% drop on Gulf and India-Pakistan tensions; cement, banks and E&P are leading the recovery.

The interbank rupee closed at 278.495 on 22 May while SBP-held reserves jumped USD 1.214bn in a week to USD 17.081bn — the strongest position in roughly three years.

Gold per tola softened to PKR 475,362 on 22 May after touching PKR 493,662 earlier in the month. The international reference near USD 4,530/oz needs cross-checking, but YoY gains in PKR terms remain 30-40%.

Pakistan raised CNY 1.75bn (~USD 250m) in its first onshore yuan bond at a 2.5% coupon, oversubscribed more than five times and backed by a 95% ADB+AIIB guarantee — funding cost 440 bps below April's USD Eurobond.

Industry sold roughly 22,015 units in April 2026, up 107% YoY and 42% MoM. Pak Suzuki's Alto and Swift led the surge while Indus Motor's Corolla/Yaris/Cross line grew 37% YoY — but margin pressure on listed OEMs remains the catch.
