KSE-100 Index falls 609 points amid selling pressure, geopolitical uncertainty | The Express Tribune

Selling pressure gripped the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 609.51 points, or 0.36%, to settle at 170,506.31 amid volatile trading activity as investors remained cautious over regional geopolitical developments and ongoing profit-taking.

Trading commenced on a negative note, with the benchmark index sliding 1,433.57 points, or 0.84%, within minutes of opening to hit 169,682.25 at 9:34am. It briefly returned to green territory around midday, supported by selective value buying and improved investor sentiment. However, selling pressure in heavyweight sectors erased intra-day gains, dragging the benchmark index back into negative territory, before profit-taking resurfaced later in the session.

Selling was witnessed in key sectors including cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs and power generation stocks, keeping the market under pressure during the early hours of trading.

Ismail Iqbal Securities noted in its daily roundup that the benchmark index closed on a negative note in a volatile session after briefly trading in positive territory during the intra-day session, as investors turned cautious amid the uncertain geopolitical environment.

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The KSE-100 index lost 610 points to close at 170,506 level, down -0.36% as DoD, banks, cement, and pharma sectors were the major laggards in the session, cumulatively shedding 758 points from the index, the report added.

Meanwhile, overall trading volume increased to 1.10 billion compared with 1 billion recorded on Friday. The value of traded shares stood at Rs31 billion. Shares of 488 companies were traded of which 234 rose, 215 fell and 39 remained unchanged. K-Electric was the volume leader with trading in 376.9 million shares, gaining Rs0.83 to close at Rs8.95.

In a notable development, remittances to Pakistan recorded an inflow of $3.5 billion during April 2026, reflecting an increase of 11.4% year-on-year, although declining 7.6% on a month-on-month basis, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan.