KSE-100 nears 166,000 in early trade amid positive momentum

Positive momentum persisted at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index hovering near the 166,000 level during the opening hours of trading on Thursday. At 10:20am, the benchmark index was hovering at 165,912.81, an increase of 272.48 points or 0.16%. Buying interest was observed in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies and OMCs. Index-heavy stock,s including MARI, POL, SNGPL, SSGC, HBL and UBL, traded in the green. In a major corporate development, Gillette Pakistan Limited announced that its parent company, Procter & Gamble (P&G), will discontinue its business operations in Pakistan as part of a global restructuring plan.