KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) came under heavy selling pressure on Monday as investor sentiment remained fragile amid the absence of meaningful progress in ongoing United States-Iran negotiations, persistent geopolitical uncertainty and elevated international crude oil prices.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index lost 3,791.05 points, or 2.29 percent, to close at 161,805.02 points compared to the previous close of 165,596.07 points. During the session, the index touched an intraday high of 164,939.09 points and a low of 161,613.51 points, reflecting intense volatility and broad-based selling pressure.
On the Business Recorder indices front, the BRIndex100 closed at 17,692.91 points, down 497.79 points or 2.74 percent from the previous close, with total turnover amounting to 352.00 million shares. Likewise, the BRIndex30 settled at 63,932.53 points, registering a decline of 2,343.46 points or 3.54 percent, while trading volume stood at 214.05 million shares.
According to Topline Securities, the benchmark index traded under sustained pressure throughout the session as cautious sentiment prevailed due to continued uncertainty surrounding developments between the United States and Iran, while elevated crude oil prices further dented market confidence. The brokerage house said the market witnessed pronounced intraday volatility before ultimately settling deep in the red.
Topline Securities said heavyweight stocks including OGDC, MEBL, UBL, PPL and ENGROH remained under sustained selling pressure, collectively erasing 1,159 points from the benchmark index and amplifying the market’s decline.
Trading activity in the ready market remained subdued compared to the previous session. Total turnover in the regular market stood at 499.80 million shares, down from 625.45 million shares recorded in the previous session. The traded value in the ready market declined to Rs19.44 billion from Rs22.31 billion, reflecting reduced investor participation amid prevailing uncertainty.
Overall market capitalization also shrank significantly to Rs17.99 trillion, compared to Rs18.39 trillion a day earlier, showing an erosion of nearly Rs399.59 billion.
Market breadth remained overwhelmingly negative as losers dominated gainers. Out of a total of 487 companies traded in the ready market, only 66 advanced, while 383 declined and 38 remained unchanged, underscoring the intensity of selling pressure.
Among actively traded stocks in the ready market, Dost Steels Limited led volumes with 40.06 million shares, closing at Rs5.12. K-Electric Limited followed with 32.51 million shares, ending at Rs8.15, while Crescent Star Insurance traded 26.32 million shares and settled at Rs6.53.
On the gainers’ side, PIA Holding Company Limited B emerged as the top gainer, surging by Rs353.00 to close at Rs18,559.00, followed by Khairpur Sugar Mills Limited, which gained Rs144.04 to settle at Rs1,584.46. Conversely, Unilever Pakistan Foods Limited was the top loser, declining Rs151.74 to close at Rs25,888.01, while The Thal Industries Corporation Limited shed Rs78.04 to end at Rs776.81.
Among sectoral BR indices, the BR Automobile Assembler Index closed at 26,418.71 points, losing 615.73 points or 2.28 percent, with turnover of 5.99 million shares. The BR Cement Index fell 322.03 points or 2.86 percent to close at 10,952.89 points, with traded volume of 17.72 million shares.
The BR Commercial Banks Index declined 1,098.30 points, or 1.99 percent, to settle at 53,962.27 points, while total turnover reached 36.11 million shares. The BR Power Generation and Distribution Index dropped 786.84 points, or 2.87 percent, to close at 26,626.98 points, with trading activity totaling 49.10 million shares.
Similarly, the BR Oil and Gas Index settled at 14,356.11 points, down 392.04 points or 2.66 percent, while turnover stood at 45.65 million shares. The BR Technology and Communication Index also witnessed heavy pressure, falling 100.21 points, or 2.70 percent, to close at 3,615.05 points, with traded volume of 53.98 million shares.
Market participants remained cautious amid geopolitical uncertainty and the absence of a clear breakthrough in diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran, while elevated crude oil prices continued to fuel concerns over inflationary pressures and Pakistan’s external account outlook.
Analysts believe investor sentiment is likely to remain highly sensitive to geopolitical headlines and movements in international energy markets in the near term.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026