Friday, November 21 2025

PSX climbs further on back of energy loan
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its bullish momentum on Thursday, when investors drove a broad-based rally across key sectors as they took cue from earnings announcement by an automaker and a $330 million energy loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 162,936.94, marking an increase of 710.66 points, or 0.44%. It traded between the intra-day high of 163,818 and low of 162,647. Oil & gas, cement and power stocks led the advance, helping the index maintain its positive streak throughout the day. KTrade Securities, in its report, observed that PSX carried forward its positive momentum, with the KSE-100 index rising 711 points (+0.44% day-on-day). Gains were primarily driven by oil & gas, cement and power sectors, where Mari Energies and Hub Power led the upside, followed by Oil and Gas Development Company, Pakistan Petroleum, Systems Limited and Pioneer Cement.
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Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves rise to $14.55 billion
Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves recorded a modest improvement during the week ended November 14, 2025, with the State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) holdings rising by $27 million to reach $14.551 billion, according to data released by the central bank on Thursday. The SBP's weekly report showed that the country's total liquid foreign exchange reserves stood at $19.738 billion. Of this, commercial banks held $5.187 billion in net reserves, while the SBP's share made up the bulk of the total. The SBP on Thursday injected a combined liquidity of over Rs645 billion into the money market through both conventional and Shariah-compliant open market operations (OMOs).
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Afghanistan seeks alternative trade route with India
Afghanistan's Taliban government urged India on Thursday to scale up trade and open cargo hubs in its territory, as it strengthens ties with New Delhi and seeks alternatives to Pakistan after repeated border clashes and closures. During talks, Al-Haj Nooruddin Azizi, the Taliban's Commerce Minister, also asked India to help set up scheduled shipping services to move Afghan goods through the Indian-operated Chabahar Port in Iran, his ministry said. Landlocked Afghanistan has redirected more goods to Iran and Central Asia in recent months after armed clashes shut key crossings with Pakistan. Azizi met India's Minister of State for Commerce, Jitin Prasada, in New Delhi and discussed investment, joint ventures and expanding opportunities for Afghan exporters, the Afghan commerce ministry said.
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Cloudflare outage exposes Pakistan’s reliance on foreign internet systems
The recent Cloudflare outage that disrupted services across Pakistan has highlighted the country's heavy reliance on foreign digital infrastructure, underscoring the urgent need for a national preparedness strategy. When contacted, officials at the Federal Ministry for IT and Telecommunication (ITT) told The Express Tribune that the Government of Pakistan has a robust vigilance system under the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT). The NCERT monitors systems 24/7 to ensure safety. On the failure of foreign Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) exposing Pakistan to digital vulnerability and the risk of an absolute halt, an official said Pakistan's own infrastructure is resilient but interconnected with global networks. "Hence, a global outage naturally affects Pakistan." The official, however, did not explain Pakistan's preparedness for such vulnerabilities.
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Stocks crumble as US jobs fail to clear Fed outlook, tech hammered
SYDNEY: Asian shares extended a global rout on Friday as the much-anticipated U.S. jobs data failed to provide clarity on the near-term path for interest rates, with investors returning to dumping risk assets even after Nvidia’s earnings dazzled. Wall Street dived overnight as jitters over inflated tech stock prices returned, resulting in the Nasdaq’s widest one-day swing since April 9 when President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs spooked markets. Data showed the U.S. economy added far more jobs than expected in September, but a rise in the unemployment rate and downward revisions to prior months painted an ambiguous picture for the Federal Reserve as it considers whether or not to cut interest rates next month.
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