WASHINGTON/KARACHI – Global financial markets reacted sharply on Monday following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of new tariffs, with Asian stock markets experiencing a notable downturn. However, in a contrasting development, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) surged to an all-time high.
The US media reported that the Asia-Pacific markets mostly traded in the red.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index fell by 0.6% during early trading hours. South Korea’s stock index witnessed a sharp decline of 3.2% while Taiwan and Australia’s markets dropped by 0.4% and 0.7% respectively. Hong Kong’s market was an exception as it witnessed a marginal gain of 0.2%.
The market analysts attributed the negative sentiment to investor concerns over escalating trade tensions sparked by the new US tariff policies.
In stark contrast, Pakistan’s stock market defied the global trend.
The PSX reached a historic milestone as the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossed the 141,000-point mark for the first time in the country’s history. The index was seen trading at 141,061 points during the session, signaling growing investor confidence in Pakistan’s economic outlook.
The financial experts believed the strong performance of the PSX is driven by improved macroeconomic indicators, investor optimism and positive policy measures taken by the government to stabilize the economy.
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