The benchmark KSE-100 index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) surged by 3,370.63 points on Thursday, closing at an all-time high of 114,180.50 points. This represents a 2.95% increase over the previous closing, marking the third-largest single-day gain in the index’s history. Notably, the top two single-day gains also occurred earlier this year.

The previous third-largest single-day gain was recorded on December 5, when the index rose by 3,134.63 points. According to brokerage house Topline Securities, nine of the top ten highest single-day gains have been achieved in 2024.

Trading volume was robust, with 1,469,558,531 shares exchanged, up from 1,080,023,483 shares the previous day. The total value of shares traded reached Rs. 67.278 billion, compared to Rs. 47.139 billion on the last trading day.

On Thursday, across-the-board buying was seen in key sectors including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation and refineries. Index-heavy stocks including HUBCO, SSGC, SNGP, PPL, OGDC, MARI, ENGRO, HBL, MCB and NBP traded in the green.

In total, 463 companies participated in the stock market, with 298 recording gains, 132 experiencing losses, and 33 remaining unchanged.