KSE-100 hits a record 170,866, up 1,822 points as rupee firms to 277.15

The KSE-100 was trading at 170,865.77 points in Friday's morning session, up 1,822.58 points or 1.08 percent on Thursday's close of 169,043.19. That is the first time the benchmark has traded above 170,000, and it comes a day after the index had already added 1,021 points.

The rupee held its ground at the same time. Interbank quotes at 11am Pakistan time were 277.15 buying and 277.65 selling against the dollar, against roughly 277.51 a day earlier. Sterling was 370.61, the euro 317.59, the Saudi riyal 73.79 and the UAE dirham 75.46.

Why both moved the same way

One number explains most of it: oil. Brent slipped about 1 percent overnight as traders decided Saudi supply would keep flowing despite fresh Houthi drone strikes, and Saudi Arabia pushed to move more crude through the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan imports nearly all its crude and most of its LNG, so a falling oil price cuts the import bill, eases pressure on the current account and takes weight off the rupee at the same time as it lifts the shares of companies that burn fuel or buy it.

The oil and gas index (OGTI) was the standout on Thursday, up 1.73 percent against 0.61 percent for the KSE-100 itself. Banks (BKTI) added 0.56 percent. The KMI-30, the Shariah-compliant index, gained 0.70 percent.

There is a second reason. The State Bank reported foreign exchange reserves at a record $21.39 billion this week after a $3.06 billion jump. Reserves at that level give the central bank room to defend the rupee, and equity buyers read it as a signal that the balance of payments risk has receded for now.

What it means for your money

If you are sending money home, a firmer rupee means fewer rupees per dollar, riyal or dirham. At 73.79 to the riyal, a 5,000-riyal remittance converts to about Rs 368,950 in the interbank market, roughly Rs 300 less than at Thursday's rate. Open market rates run a rupee or two above interbank, so check what your exchange company is actually quoting before you send. You can run the numbers on our currency converter.

If you hold shares or a mutual fund, a record index is not a reason to buy at any price. The KSE-100 is up sharply in a week in which inflation has also risen: the CPI reading for August came in at 11.1 percent year on year, up from 9.2 percent in July. Real returns are what count.

If you are waiting on the policy rate, the State Bank left it at 11.5 percent on 14 September. Twelve-month KIBOR was last at 12.32 percent. Both matter more to your loan instalment than the index does.

The daily levels are on our KSE-100 page and the rupee page, updated through the day.

The rest of Friday

Pakistan Stock Exchange runs a split session on Fridays for Jumma prayers, so the afternoon board reopens after the break and the closing level can differ from the morning print. The close is the number that goes in the record books.