KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile trading session on Thursday but managed to recover most of its early losses as selective buying in blue-chip stocks helped the market stabilise following Wednesday’s sharp selloff triggered by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index settled at 181,259.68 points, down 369.69 points or 0.20 percent from the previous close of 181,629.37 points. The index remained highly volatile during the session, touching an intraday low of 179,411.36 points before recovering to an intraday high of 182,276.81 points.
Business Recorder’s benchmark indices also reflected the subdued sentiment. BRIndex100 closed at 19,937.91 points, down 38.88 points or 0.19 percent, with a turnover of 828.90 million shares. Meanwhile, BRIndex30 settled at 73,390.40 points, losing 155.65 points or 0.21 percent on trading volume of 541.76 million shares.
Commenting on the market performance, Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Limited, said the PSX witnessed a mixed session as investors remained cautious after the previous day’s sharp decline. He noted that the market opened on a weak note, but buying interest in select blue-chip stocks enabled the benchmark index to recover a significant portion of its intraday losses by the close.
Najib said Ghandhara Industries, Fatima Fertiliser, United Bank Limited, Cnergyico PK and Ghani Automobile collectively contributed 206 points to the benchmark index, while Meezan Bank, MCB Bank, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Engro Holdings and Askari Bank erased 522 points amid continued selling pressure.
Trading activity moderated from the previous session’s panic-driven levels. Ready market volume declined to 982.12 million shares from 1.55 billion shares a day earlier, while traded value fell to Rs41.86 billion from Rs62.44 billion. Ready market capitalisation remained largely unchanged at Rs20.382 trillion compared to Rs20.383 trillion in the previous session.
Market breadth improved on the ready board, where 263 of the 497 traded companies closed higher, 203 declined and 31 remained unchanged.
Among the most actively traded stocks, Cnergyico PK led the volume chart with 211.68 million shares, closing at Rs9.40. LSE Capital followed with 58.38 million shares, ending at its upper circuit price of Rs7.84, while Pak Refinery ranked third with 49.65 million shares, closing at Rs41.85. Other volume leaders included Pace (Pak), K-Electric, WorldCall Telecom, First National Equities, Bank of Punjab, Thatta Cement and Pak Elektron.
In terms of price movement, Khairpur Sugar Mills emerged as the top gainer, rising Rs172.03 to close at Rs1,892.32, followed by Ghandhara Industries, which added Rs99.82 to settle at Rs1,097.98. On the losing side, PIA Holding Company Limited (B) declined by Rs222.67 to end Rs17,677.33, while The Premier Sugar Mills shed Rs70.97 to close at Rs638.72.
Sector-wise, the BR Automobile Assembler Index emerged as the best-performing index, rising 353.40 points or 1.48 percent to close at 24,273.43 points on turnover of 9.34 million shares. The BR Cement Index gained 15.83 points or 0.12 percent to settle at 12,960.55 points with volume of 50.93 million shares.
The BR Tech & Communication Index remained almost unchanged, easing just 0.66 points or 0.02 percent to 3,846.62 points on turnover of 72.01 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index slipped 17.90 points or 0.06 percent to 28,913.35 points with 56.62 million shares traded.
The BR Oil & Gas Index declined 51.53 points or 0.33 percent to close at 15,414.54 points on turnover of 54.74 million shares, while the BR Commercial Banks Index recorded the largest sectoral decline, falling 426.11 points or 0.67 percent to 62,903.79 points with volume of 72.05 million shares.
Analysts say despite ending lower, the market’s strong recovery from intraday lows indicated that institutional buying in select blue-chip stocks helped restore confidence after Wednesday’s sharp selloff.
Looking ahead, Ali Najib said market direction would remain closely linked to geopolitical developments, with any easing in regional tensions likely to improve investor sentiment, while further escalation could keep volatility elevated in the near term.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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