The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) began Thursday’s session on a strong note, with the benchmark KSE-100 index gaining over a thousand points in early trading. At 9:36 AM, the index stood at 160,590.77, up by 1,012.58 points on a trading volume of 5.8 million shares.
Investor optimism initially drove the rally, led by buying in select large-cap stocks. However, sentiment quickly shifted as traders opted for profit-taking, causing the PSX to lose its early gains. By 10:01 AM, the KSE-100 had slipped into negative territory, down 146 points at 159,431.39, with trading volume climbing to 31 million shares.
Selling pressure intensified over the next hour, pushing the index down by 1,325.57 points to a low of 158,252.62 around 10:47 AM. The sharp decline came alongside a surge in activity, with over 70 million shares traded by that point.
By 12:59 PM, the PSX showed signs of partial recovery. The KSE-100 settled at 159,198.73, down 379.46 points or 0.24 percent from the previous close of 159,578.19. The session saw high volatility, with the index fluctuating between 158,252.62 and 160,590.77.
Despite the intraday swings, the KSE-100 has shown strong long-term performance, gaining 38.28 percent year-to-date and 73 percent over the past year. This reflects the underlying resilience of Pakistan’s equity market, even amid bouts of short-term uncertainty.
On the sectoral front, several mid- and small-cap stocks performed well. LSEVL led the gainers with a 14.77 percent rise to Rs7.77 per share, followed by AMTEX, which climbed 11.14 percent to Rs4.89. Other notable gainers included FNEL, FECTC, and KOIL.
Among the top decliners, ESBL dropped 9.91 percent to Rs12.00, while SHCM, TSML, and HAFL all posted losses above seven percent. Trading volumes were concentrated in key scripts, with BML leading at over 62 million shares, followed by PIBTL and PIAHCLA.
In the previous session, the PSX had closed at 159,578.19, down 1,703.57 points, with 72 companies closing lower and only 25 gaining. Analysts say Thursday’s volatility reflects ongoing investor caution, as profit-taking continues to dominate short-term market behavior.
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