Pakistan: economy, interest rate and stock market
The central bank's policy rate is 11.50%. Inflation was 3.5% in 2025 and GDP grew 3.7% (World Bank). KSE-100 (Pakistan) is −1.6% over the past year.
Interest rate
11.50% set by State Bank of Pakistan. As of 19 Oct 2026 (checked by hand against the bank's decisions).
Policy rate. Held at 11.5% at the 14 September 2026 meeting; the SBP rates page still showed 11.50% in mid-October.
All countries: central bank interest rates. Rates move stocks through borrowing costs and the currency: rising rates usually weigh on rate-sensitive stocks and help banks, falling rates the opposite.
Stock market: KSE-100 (Pakistan)
| Level | 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163,924.31 | −4.4% | −6.0% | −5.8% | −1.6% |
Closing level on 22 Oct 2026. "vs 200-day avg" is how far the index is above or below its own average of the last 200 closes; "from 52-week high" is the drop from its highest level of the past year. Both are arithmetic on our price history, not a forecast.
Risk-on or risk-off?
Risk-off 1 of 5 price checks on KSE-100 (Pakistan) are positive, as of 22 Oct 2026.
| Check | Reading today | Positive? |
|---|---|---|
| Index above its 200-day average | -4.7% vs average | No |
| 50-day average above the 200-day average | -0.4% | No |
| 3-month return positive | -4.6% | No |
| Within 10% of the 52-week high | -13.3% from high | No |
| Volatility at or below its own 1-year median | 20-day 11% vs median 20% (annualised) | Yes |
4 or 5 positive = Risk-on, 2 or 3 = Mixed, 0 or 1 = Risk-off. Each check uses only prices up to that day, so the same rule can be run on history (below). It describes how investors are behaving in this market, not what happens next.
- Global risk gauge (Market Compass): Risk-on, 0 of 6 warning signals on.
- Breadth: 32% of Pakistan's stocks are above their own 200-day average.
- Oil is up 19% in three months. Pakistan imports far more fuel than it exports, so this raises its import bill and tends to press on its currency and on fuel-heavy industries.
| Strategy | Return a year | Worst fall |
|---|---|---|
| Buy and hold the index | 20.1% | −69.3% |
| Hold only when not Risk-off (2+ checks) | 19.5% | −37.2% |
| Hold only when Risk-on (4+ checks) | 17.5% | −20.9% |
The position is decided at one day's close and applied to the next day's return, so the rule never uses the future. Time out of the market earns nothing here. Limits: index price only (no dividends, no interest on cash), no trading costs or taxes, one market and one period, and a rule that did well or badly in the past can do the opposite next time. Hypothetical results, not a promise and not advice.
Stocks that fit the current setting
Risk-off setting: the screen looks for the stocks whose prices have swung least over the last year. Chosen from the 300 most traded stocks in Pakistan, using prices up to 22 Oct 2026.
| Stock | Price | 3M |
|---|---|---|
| NESTLE Nestle Pakistan Ltd | PKR 7,003.62 | −6.7% |
| COLG Colgate-Palmolive Pakistan L... | PKR 1,108.31 | −7.1% |
DCR Dolmen City REIT | PKR 39.28 | +5.8% |
GRR Globe Residency | PKR 16.83 | −8.2% |
| UPFL Unilever Pakistan Foods Ltd | PKR 29,103.21 | +16.9% |
| OLPL ORIX Leasing Pakistan Limite... | PKR 45.26 | −1.8% |
| INDU Indus Motor Company Ltd | PKR 1,775.64 | −4.2% |
IREIT Image Reit | PKR 7.67 | −4.5% |
| HPL Hoechst Pak Ltd | PKR 3,942.29 | +0.1% |
| POL Pakistan Oilfields Ltd | PKR 665.27 | −1.0% |
These are candidates to research, not recommendations. The screen reads prices only: it knows nothing about the companies' earnings, debt or valuation, and a stock can fit the setting and still fall. Momentum screens tend to pick volatile stocks, so check the Volatility column. We cannot yet test this screen fairly on the past, because our price history only contains companies that are listed today, which flatters any screen. So instead of showing a backtest we record each day's picks and will judge the rule on what happens after the fact. Educational only, not financial advice.
Economy at a glance
| Measure | Latest | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Economy size (GDP) | $407.3 billion | 2025 |
| GDP per person | $1,596 | 2025 |
| GDP growth | 3.7% | 2025 |
| Inflation (consumer prices) | 3.5% | 2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.4% | 2025 |
| Population | 255.2 million | 2025 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP | -0.1% | 2025 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP | 10.0% | 2025 |
| Imports of goods and services, % of GDP | 17.2% | 2025 |
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, annual figures. The latest year is usually the previous calendar year, so these numbers are not live and are revised later by the World Bank.
Trade structure
Share of merchandise exports and imports by product group. ■ exports ■ imports.
High-technology products are 2.4% of manufactured exports (2024).
- Fuels are 25.7% of Pakistan's merchandise imports against 2.4% of its exports. A rise in oil and gas prices raises its import bill and tends to press on its currency and on fuel-heavy industries; a fall does the reverse.
- Manufactured goods are 73.2% of merchandise exports: the economy sells made goods abroad, which ties it to global demand and to its exchange rate.
- Exports plus imports equal 27% of GDP, so the economy is mostly driven by domestic demand, with trade a smaller share.
- The current account was a deficit of 0.1% of GDP (2025): the country spends more abroad than it earns and relies on foreign capital to fill the gap.
These describe the structure of trade, using the figures above. They are not forecasts and not investment advice. Latest available year differs by group (usually 2024 or 2025).
Pakistan business and market news
More on Pakistan
Sources: Bank for International Settlements and central bank decisions (policy rates), World Bank (economy and trade), StocksXray price history (index). Educational only, not financial advice.