KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday resumed trading after a two-hour suspension due to a fire at its Karachi headquarters.
In an announcement on its website, the exchange said trading was suspended at 10:25 a.m. (0525 GMT) and would resume at 12:25 p.m. (0725 GMT).
According to her, the situation is under control and the employees of brokerage firms have started to return to the premises.
The KSE-100, the PSX’s main index, has soared to an all-time high in recent months, surpassing 80,000 points on the back of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout last summer that staved off insolvency and more recently, amid continued reforms under the lender’s umbrella.
On Monday, the KSE-100 rose 0.53 percent, or 427.3 points, after trading resumed after the fire.
Earlier, the trading suspension was extended until 12:30 p.m., after the PSX administration suspended trading in the morning as the building was choked with smoke due to the fire.
The building remained closed for employees and traders as a precaution after the fire brigade put out the fire that broke out in an office on the fourth floor of the building on II Chundrigar Road.
A Rescue 1122 spokeswoman said four fire engines, a snorkel and a bow were involved in the operation.
The floor was choked with smoke, which was cleared, and there were no injuries as the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, the spokeswoman added, as the cause of the fire could not be determined.
