The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a sharp decline on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index closing at 113,443.43, marking a loss of 1,598.82 points or 1.39%. The index faced intense selling pressure throughout the day, trading in a wide range of 1,896.79 points between an intraday high of 115,256.16 (+213.91) and a low of 113,359.37 (-1,682.88).
The session recorded a total volume of 358.35 million shares on the KSE-100 Index. Out of the 100 index companies, 82 closed lower, 15 registered gains, and 3 remained unchanged.
Major contributors to the decline included Oil & Gas Exploration Companies (-707.61 points), Commercial Banks (-246.33 points), Investment Companies (-196.90 points), Oil & Gas Marketing Companies (-106.78 points), and Power Generation & Distribution (-103.80 points).
Key stocks dragging the index were MARI (-502.46 points), ENGROH (-193.63 points), OGDC (-88.67 points), PPL (-81.02 points), and HUBC (-71.90 points). On the flip side, Cement (+92.97 points) was the only sector providing notable support, along with marginal contributions from Textile Composite (+8.44 points).
Top gainers included FCCL (+7.17%), KTML (+5.81%), KOHC (+2.52%), DGKC (+2.11%), and INIL (+2.04%). Meanwhile, the top decliners were MARI (-9.79%), PGLC (-8.26%), KOSM (-4.03%), SCBPL (-3.50%), and PSEL (-3.39%).
In the broader market, the All-Share Index closed at 70,346.80, losing 1,072.79 points or 1.50%. Market volumes declined slightly to 743.63 million shares from the previous session’s 767.26 million, while the traded value rose to Rs35.25 billion, an increase of Rs3.42 billion.
The top-traded stocks by volume were WTL (100.21 million shares), CNERGY (96.97 million shares), and FCCL (83.55 million shares). Despite the overall bearish sentiment, fiscal year performance remains robust, with the KSE-100 Index gaining 34,998 points or 44.62% during the period. However, the index has declined by 1,683 points or 1.46% so far in the current calendar year.
Market participants noted that investor sentiment remains cautious, with selling pressure concentrated in heavyweight sectors, particularly oil and banking. Analysts expect the market to remain volatile amid a lack of immediate positive triggers and global uncertainties.
