The bourse witnessed a sharp decline on Monday as the KSE-100 Index went down by nearly 3,900 points, reflecting a severe loss of investor confidence driven by global market turmoil and unresolved domestic policy issues.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX)’s benchmark index settled at 114,909.48 points, down by 3,882.18 points or -3.27%, from the previous close of 118,791.66.
Earlier in the day, the KSE-100 had sunk to an intraday low of 110,103.97, reflecting a staggering drop of 8,687.69 points, or -7.31%. Even at its highest point of the session of 117,601.62, the index remained -1.00% below the previous close.
The sharp plunge prompted the PSX to impose a lower lock after the market declined by more than 5%. In an official announcement, the exchange said that all pending orders had been cancelled and trading would resume at 1:03pm.
Despite the break, selling pressure resumed once the market reopened, with the KSE-100 slipping further into red territory before recovering slightly.
Analysts pointed to both external and domestic triggers for the PSX’s sharp pullback.
“Investors are reacting to the uncertainty emanating from the Trump tariffs and in particular, its fallout both in the US and Asian Markets,” said Mustafa Mustansir, Director of Research and Business Development at Taurus Securities Limited.
