KARACHI: The futures segment of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp shift in dynamics during the week ended April 3, as the futures spread surged dramatically to 207.06 percent from 5.14 percent, marking an unprecedented expansion of 20,192 basis points, reflecting extreme dislocation between spot and futures pricing and heightened volatility in the market.
Analysts noted that such an extraordinary widening typically signals stress in the derivatives market, where pricing inefficiencies and risk premiums increase sharply due to uncertain near-term outlook.
Average daily traded volume in the futures segment dropped to 112.39 million shares, compared with 385.99 million shares recorded in the previous week, registering a sharp 70.9 percent week-on-week decline.
Similarly, average daily traded value in the futures market fell to Rs6.85 billion, down significantly from Rs18.10 billion in the prior week, reflecting a 62.1 percent contraction. The decline in both volume and value suggested that traders reduced leveraged exposure and avoided aggressive speculative positions amid rising uncertainty.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026