Friday, December 26 2025

Equities opens strongly, KSE-100 up over 1,100 points in early trade
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) kicked off trading on a strong note, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index gaining over 1,100 points during the opening minutes of trading on Friday. At 10:25am, the benchmark index was hovering at 171,956.60, an increase of 1,126.38 points or 0.66%. Buying interest was observed in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs and refinery. Index-heavy stocks, including ARL, PRL, HUBCO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, PSO, WAFI, HBL, MCB and NBP, traded in the green. On Wednesday, PSX settled on a subdued note as cautious investor sentiment during the roll-over week led to selective selling in heavyweight stocks, dragging key indices into negative territory despite an improvement in overall trading activity. The benchmark KSE-100 Index declined by 243.51 points, or 0.14%, to settle at 170,830.22 points.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges

Gold up Rs8,500, silver extends record rally
Gold prices in Pakistan surged on Tuesday, tracking strength in the international bullion market, where silver extended its record rally to breach the key $70 per ounce level, while gold pared some gains after touching an all-time high amid stronger-than-expected US economic data. In the local market, the price of gold per tola rose by Rs8,500 to Rs470,862, according to rates issued by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA). Similarly, the price of 10 grams of gold increased by Rs7,288 to Rs403,688. On Monday, gold had already posted a strong advance, with the per-tola rate climbing Rs6,200 to settle at Rs462,362. Silver prices in the domestic market remained unchanged at Rs7,205 per tola, despite sharp gains in the international market.
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Karachi Port traffic crisis persists a week after transport strike ends
Even a week after the end of the goods transporters' 10-day strike, the movement of import and export containers from various container terminals at Karachi Port has not returned to normal. According to Sheikh Waqas Anjum, General Secretary of the Karachi Customs Agents Association, the arrival of thousands of consignments that remained stuck at the port during the strike onto city roads has exposed serious weaknesses in the traffic management system. With the influx of cargo trucks, traffic pressure has increased not only on the roads surrounding the port, but congestion has also reached alarming levels on major heavy-traffic routes, including Keamari, Gulbai and Mauripur.
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China, Pakistan strengthen vocational education ties with new MoUs
China and Pakistan have signed a package of cooperation documents and launched joint programmes to advance vocational education, with a focus on integrating industry needs with skills training. The agreements were announced at the "Seminar on International Cooperation and Exchange: Integration of Industry and Education in Vocational Education between China and Pakistan" held in Beijing. At the ceremony, 21 documents were signed and five cooperation platforms were unveiled, covering professional standards, shared teaching resources, faculty and curriculum development, and enterprise-linked training bases. Under the Professional Standards and International Teaching Resource Database track, partners agreed to develop standards and resources in disciplines such as Culinary Arts & Nutrition, Fashion and Costume Design, Food Inspection and Testing, Supply Chain Operation, Fine Chemical Technology, Modern Agriculture Production, and Information Security Technology Applications, with participation from Pakistani authorities including NAVTTC and provincial technical education and training bodies.
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Technological limitations, political instability drives migration of skilled professionals
As the final weeks of 2025 draw to a close, activity at the departure lounges of Pakistan's international airports has become a visible marker of a deeper national shift. In a year shaped by fiscal tightening and digital friction, the country has solidified its position as one of the world's most aggressive exporters of human talent. This is no longer limited to labourers seeking wages in the Gulf. It increasingly reflects a sustained outflow of high-value professionals, particularly digital workers, whose departure is systematically hollowing out the nation's intellectual nerve centre. The rise of the "digital nomad" has added a new dimension to Pakistan's long-standing migration story.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators tech-comm