Karachi: The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) experienced a significant uptick on Thursday as the KSE100 index rose by 2,144.60 points, reaching a new 52-week high of 130,344.03. This marks a 1.67% increase for the day, reflecting a year-to-date climb of 13.22% for the calendar year 2025. The KSE30 index also showed a strong performance, gaining 803.26 points to close at 39,908.26, up 2.05% for the day.

Among the top gainers was Searle Company Limited (SEARL), which saw its share price increase by 10.00%, closing at 98.01. Other notable gainers included Murree Brewery (MUREB), with its share price rising by 8.79%, and Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Limited (SCBPL), which saw a 7.81% increase.

The market capitalization of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rose by 1.55%, with the total market cap reaching Rs 15,712.55 billion, equivalent to $55.34 billion. Trading volume was robust, with 1,026.12 million shares exchanging hands, and the total trade value amounting to Rs 49.29 billion, or $173.60 million.

On the downside, YouweCan (YOUW) shares fell by 4.95%, while Packages Limited (PKGP) and Bank of Khyber (BNWM) experienced declines of 4.56% and 4.38%, respectively.

Among the volume leaders was Worldcall Telecom Limited (WTL), with 89.87 million shares traded, followed by Bank of Punjab (BOP) with 89.53 million shares.

In the regional context, the Chinese market index (SSEA) fell slightly by 0.1%, while India's BSESN index declined by 0.3%. Korea's KOSPI and Indonesia's JKSE both decreased by 0.5%, while Malaysia’s KLSE saw a 0.6% increase.

The positive movement in the KSE is largely attributed to investor confidence and favorable market conditions, as indicated by the strong performance of key stocks such as SEARL and MUREB.