KARACHI: After a long Ashura break, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) came under renewed selling pressure on Monday. This followed exchanges of military strikes between the US and Iran over the weekend, heightening geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East.
The disruption to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz is expected to persist, potentially affecting global energy prices and economic stability. As a result, the benchmark KSE 100 index recorded a volatile session, closing lower. This volatility prompted equity investors to lock in profits, leading to further declines.
Topline Securities Ltd said the benchmark KSE-100 index ended the session lower, closing at 178,414.79 points, down 1,156.47 points, or 0.64 per cent.
The market opened on a positive note, reaching an intraday high of 180,272.01 points, extending the bullish momentum from the final session of the preceding week on Wednesday. However, significant profit-taking emerged in the latter half of the session, pulling the index down to an intraday low of 178,331.00 points before it settled near the day’s low.
The decline was primarily driven by broad-based profit-taking as investors chose to lock in gains despite a supportive macroeconomic backdrop. Positive developments, including easing geopolitical tensions, investor-friendly amendments to the Finance Bill 2026-27, and lower domestic fuel prices, helped cushion sentiment but were insufficient to offset selling pressure.
