KSE-100 ends marginally lower after volatile trading

A volatile trading session was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday as the benchmark KSE-100 Index initially gained ground before closing in the red amid profit-taking.

The market kicked off trading on a positive note, pushing the benchmark KSE-100 Index towards the intra-day high of 182,347.51 during the opening minutes.

However, profit-taking emerged soon after, which intensified around mid-day, with the benchmark falling towards an intra-day low of 180,820.22 points.

The benchmark index later staged a partial recovery, but remained range-bound during the afternoon amid continued volatility and failed attempts to sustain gains.

At close, the KSE-100 Index settled at 181,310.28, down by 119.74 points or 0.07%.

“The refinery sector remained the talk of the town, with strong buying interest witnessed across the sector. ATRL, PRL, NRL, and CNERGY all closed in positive territory, significantly outperforming the broader market,” Topline Securities said in its post-market report.

On the positive side, PPL, ATRL, MEBL, OGDC, and ENGROH emerged as the top contributors to the benchmark, collectively adding approximately 573 points to the KSE-100 Index. Conversely, HUBC, FFC, UBL, MARI, and LUCK remained the major laggards, collectively dragging the index down by approximately 789 points, it added.

In a key development, the inflow of overseas workers’ remittances into Pakistan stood at $3.631 billion in July 2026.

During the previous week, the PSX staged a strong recovery as progress in diplomatic talks between Iran and Oman over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, along with expectations of a broader US-Iran agreement, eased geopolitical concerns and improved investor sentiment. The KSE-100 Index gained 5,335.89 points, or 3% week-on-week, to close at 181,430.02 points.

Asian share markets tracked Wall Street higher on Monday after a soft US jobs report pared the risk of ​a near-term rise in borrowing costs, though a lack of progress in Gulf peace talks saw oil prices ‌creep higher.

Iran said on Sunday that a deal with Oman defining new shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz was in its final stages but reiterated that the waterway would only reopen once the United States met other conditions.

Brent crude added 0.9% to $84.32 a barrel as shipping through the vital waterway ​remained at a trickle, while US crude rose 0.7% to $78.74 a barrel.

The latest revival in fuel costs raises the ​stakes for the US July consumer price report due on Wednesday, where analysts look for a ⁠rise of 0.1% in the headline and 0.2% for the core.

Any upside surprise could rekindle speculation of a hike from the ​Federal Reserve next month.

The futures market has scaled back the ​chance of a September move to around 44%, from 67% a week ago.

The pullback in rate risk helped Treasuries rally on ​Friday and saw Wall Street close at record highs. Japan’s Nikkei followed that lead and rose 0.6% on Monday, while South Korea added 0.5%.

MSCI’s ‌broadest index ⁠of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.3%.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani rupee extended its marginal gains against the US dollar on Monday. The local unit closed the day at Rs277.70, a gain of Re0.01 against the greenback.

Volume on the all-share index increased to 917.27 million from 716.04 million recorded in the previous close.

The value of shares rose to Rs44.80 billion from Rs34.10 billion in the previous session.

Cnergyico PK was the volume leader with 173.55 million shares, followed by B.O.Punjab with 61.61 million shares, and TPL Properties Mod with 50.02 million shares.

Shares of 496 companies were traded on Monday, of which 225 registered an increase, 234 recorded a fall, and 37 remained unchanged.