Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp sell-off on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index plunging 3.41%, erasing the previous session\u2019s gains amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and persistent technical weakness.<\/p>\n
At close, the KSE-100 Index settled at 152,908, down 5,405 points, as broad-based selling pressure dominated market activity. Market breadth remained negative, with 92 stocks declining against just 7 advancers, reflecting weak investor sentiment, according to AHL.<\/p>\n
Heavyweight stocks led the\u00a0downturn, with UBL falling 7.07%, FFC shedding 2.84%, and Engro Holdings declining 3.97%, collectively dragging the index lower. Traded value in the ready market stood at $92.7 million, with volumes clocking in at 521.6 million shares.<\/p>\n
Read:\u00a0Stocks slide, oil gains with Mideast ceasefire prospects centre stage<\/p>\n
Analysts attributed the bearish momentum primarily to escalating\u00a0geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Reports of indirect US-Iran engagement through backchannel diplomacy failed to reassure investors, as conflicting signals from both sides clouded expectations of any near-term de-escalation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiddle East developments continue to act as the primary trigger for equity markets, and the absence of a clear resolution path is keeping risk appetite subdued,\u201d a market participant noted.<\/p>\n
On the domestic front, the index\u2019s failure to reclaim its 200-day moving average (200-DMA) has reinforced a consolidation phase, with the benchmark remaining largely flat on a week-on-week basis despite heightened volatility.<\/p>\n
Additionally, policy developments added a mixed undertone to the market. The government\u2019s plan to introduce a mobile application to manage fuel quotas for motorcycles, rickshaws, and small cars up to 800cc\u2014aimed at providing targeted subsidies to low-income households\u2014failed to provide any immediate positive trigger for equities.<\/p>\n
Sector-wise, banking, cement, and exploration & production stocks remained under pressure. Among actively traded stocks, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, WorldCall Telecom, and Pak Elektron Limited featured prominently in volumes.<\/p>\n
Read More:\u00a0PSX sheds over 5000 points as profit-taking grips market<\/p>\n
On the flip side, select stocks posted gains, with Nestl\u00e9 Pakistan, Packages Limited, and Bata Pakistan closing in positive territory, although their impact on the broader index remained limited.<\/p>\n
Market participants expect continued volatility in the near term, with external factors\u2014particularly geopolitical developments and global commodity price movements\u2014likely to dictate direction. Analysts suggest that a decisive break above the 200-DMA is crucial for any sustained bullish momentum, while failure to do so may keep the market range-bound.<\/p>\n
In the absence of strong local triggers, investors are expected to remain cautious, closely tracking global cues and macroeconomic signals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp sell-off on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index plunging 3.41%, erasing the previous session\u2019s gains amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and persistent technical weakness. At close, the KSE-100 Index settled at 152,908, down 5,405 points, as broad-based selling pressure dominated market activity. Market breadth remained negative, with 92 stocks …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2901,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2897\/revisions\/2901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistantimesusa.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}