KARACHI:
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed sharp fluctuations on Monday as selling pressure dominated early trading, reflecting cautious investor sentiment amid ongoing regional uncertainty.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index dropped more than 1,400 points shortly after the opening bell, falling to 169,682.25 during early market activity as heavy selling emerged across major sectors.
Despite the weak start, the market managed to recover part of its losses during the session. The index climbed back to 170,198.62 within minutes and later improved further to 170,249.17 as selective buying activity helped stabilise sentiment.
However, volatility persisted throughout the day, with renewed selling pressure dragging the benchmark index lower once again during mid-morning trade.
Around midday, the market briefly moved into positive territory as investor confidence improved and value buying returned. The gains, however, remained short-lived as profit-taking activity resurfaced later in the session.
By 1:54pm, the KSE-100 Index was trading at 171,051.86, down 63.96 points, or 0.04%.
Major selling activity was observed in key sectors including cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, oil marketing firms, and power generation stocks. Investors largely remained cautious due to uncertainty surrounding a potential peace agreement between Iran and the United States.
During intraday trading, the benchmark index touched a high of 171,304.10 and a low of 169,583.44. Total traded volume stood at 322.08 million shares, while the overall market turnover reached Rs12.62 billion.
Meanwhile, Pakistan received $3.5 billion in remittances during April 2026, marking an 11.4% increase compared to the same period last year. On a monthly basis, however, inflows declined by 7.6%.