The PSX KSE-100 Index remained under pressure on Wednesday as investors turned cautious amid external uncertainties, triggering broad-based selling across the Pakistan Stock Exchange. The benchmark index erased its early gains and fell more than 1,000 points during intraday trading.
The market opened on a positive note, with the KSE-100 Index gaining 14.07 points to reach 176,147.63 shortly after trading began. However, selling pressure quickly emerged, pushing the index into negative territory within minutes.
By late morning, losses accelerated as investors reduced exposure to equities. At 12:39pm, the benchmark stood at 175,164.36, down 969.20 points from the previous close. During the afternoon session, the decline deepened, with the index touching an intraday low of 174,256.73, a drop of 1,876.83 points or 1.07%.
Selling was observed across major sectors, including automobile assemblers, oil marketing companies, cement, fertiliser and power generation. The broad-based decline suggested investors were responding to heightened geopolitical concerns and increased market uncertainty rather than sector-specific developments.
Despite the decline, trading activity remained healthy. Around 172.09 million shares changed hands, while the total traded value reached approximately Rs9.22 billion, indicating continued investor participation even as prices weakened.
The downturn followed Tuesday’s session, when the KSE-100 Index ended 205.83 points higher at 176,133.56 after surrendering most of its intraday gains. Profit-taking at higher levels had already signalled cautious investor sentiment despite the positive close.
Market analysts said the PSX KSE-100 Index remains sensitive to global geopolitical developments and external economic risks. They noted that the market’s direction will depend on whether fresh buying interest emerges at lower levels or selling pressure continues in the coming sessions.
