Business
Bull run continues as PSX surges past 179,000 mark – SUCH TV
The bourse opened Friday on the front foot, crossing the 179,000 mark for the first time and setting a new all-time intraday high as investors positioned for next week’s earnings, rupee gains, and speculation over further State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) policy easing after a softer December Consumer Price Index (CPI) print.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed to an intraday high of 179,016.88, gaining 2,661.39 points, or 1.51%, and recorded a low of 176,709.51, reflecting a gain of 354.02 points, or 0.2%.
“Bullish activity witnessed ahead of major earning announcements due next week,” said Ahsan Mehanti, Managing Director and CEO of Arif Habib Commodities.
“Rupee gains and speculations over further SBP policy easing after CPI inflation data stood at 5.6% for December 2025 played a catalyst role in bullish activity at PSX,” he added.
Pakistan’s inflation eased for a second straight month in December, raising hopes for further policy easing.
The headline CPI inflation slowed to 5.6%, mainly on a sharp fall in perishable food prices; however, rising housing costs and sticky core inflation signalled lingering pressures.
CPI declined from 6.1% in November and 6.2% in October, but remained above 4.1% in December last year. On a month-on-month basis, consumer prices fell 0.4% in December, reversing a 0.4% increase in November.
Reserves and flows added to the constructive tone. The SBP said foreign-exchange reserves rose by $13 million to $15.915 billion in the week ended December 26, even as total liquid reserves edged down $10 million to $21.012 billion and commercial-bank reserves slipped $23 million to $5.097 billion.
Short-term local government bonds recorded a net $20 million foreign inflow in December versus $42.2 million of outflows in November; gross T-bill purchases were $77.29 million and divestments $57.27 million as of December 25.
Analysts noted that 2025 flows were weak in the first half amid geopolitics and competing yields, before stabilising in H2 as Pakistan’s risk premium eased and policy continuity improved.
The SBP cut its policy rate by 50 bps to 10.5% in December after four unchanged meetings at 11%.
The KSE-100 delivered a 51.2% total return in 2025. Data compiled by Zakheera show banks leading with a 103.8% total return (about 45% of index gains), followed by cement (88.1%), fertiliser (68.5%), power (62%), and chemicals (58.9%).
Textiles and technology rose 27% and 26.5%, respectively; food and autos were sub-20%; exploration and production gained 16.3%; pharmaceuticals and oil and gas were near 9%, while refineries ended flat.
On Thursday, the benchmark index closed up 1.32% at 176,355.49 from the previous close of 174,054.32 after touching a then record 176,658.38 intraday.
The Pavilion took to social media to reveal cost pressures
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Business
After 11 Years At Amazon, A Midnight Email Announced Indian Techie’s Layoff: ‘Suddenly Everything Was Gone’
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After 11 years at Amazon, the Indian-origin techie who lost his job shared that his teenage daughter helped him stay positive.
He is now learning AI and working on a side project. (representative image)
Losing a job after more than a decade at the same company is never easy. For this man, it came as a sudden shock. The Indian-origin tech professional, Hemant Virmani, who lives in Washington, had worked at Amazon for over 11 years before he was laid off in October 2025.
In an essay published by Business Insider, the 47-year-old opened up about how he dealt with the setback. He also shared how his teenage daughter’s resilience during her own difficult time changed the way he viewed his situation.
Layoff Email Changed Everything Overnight
Virmani said he found out about the layoff through a middle-of-the-night email. “Amazon was part of my daily life for 11.5 years, and suddenly it was gone,” he told Business Insider. He had been working as a senior software development manager.
He admitted there is “no right way or easy way” to conduct layoffs. While he had seen others lose their jobs in 2023, facing it himself felt very different. The next morning, he had a 30-minute meeting with his manager, who shared the news in what he called a “positive, human way.” A former manager also met him at a coffee shop to check on him.
Daughter’s Strength Gave Him A New Outlook
In the first few days, Virmani said he struggled to accept what had happened. But he began thinking about how his daughter had handled a difficult time in her own life the year before.
“She had an adverse situation happen to her last year that required recovery. How she reacted in that difficult time inspired me. Her mental model was: ‘Challenges don’t have to keep me from showing up for myself or for others.’ Her positive attitude was an inspiration for me to do the same,” Virmani recalled.
“I kind of learned from her that I had to take this layoff with positivity, keep my cool, and focus on what was next,” he added.
Soon after, he faced another personal loss when his father passed away. He travelled to India and spent about a month with family, thinking about his life and career.
Focusing On What Comes Next
Virmani now calls the break a “refreshing change.” He said he is less worried about the brand name of his next company and more focused on meaningful work. He has started learning more about artificial intelligence and is working on a hobby AI project.
He is applying for head-of-engineering roles and networking actively. He is also taking care of his health, going to the gym several times a week.
“My advice to anyone undergoing layoffs is to realise that layoffs are not about you. It’s about an environment that is driving layoffs. Secondly, now that this has happened, you can’t go back in the past and change it. Look forward to what you can do next. How you react is very important,” he said.
Delhi, India, India
February 17, 2026, 08:46 IST
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