KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed renewed selling pressure on Friday, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index dropping over 400 points during the first half of the trading session, tracking a broader global downturn triggered by investor unease over trade policy volatility.
By the closing bell, the KSE-100 stood at 114,853.33, down 1,335.88 points or 1.15%, as bearish sentiment returned following a brief recovery on Thursday when markets had rebounded in response to a temporary suspension of U.S. tariffs by President Donald Trump.
Investors opted to book profits, particularly in index-heavy sectors including oil and gas exploration, commercial banks, refineries, automobile assemblers, and power generation. Key stocks trading in the red included MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SNGPL, HUBCO, MEBL, NBP, and MCB.
The decline follows a warning issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday regarding the broader implications of controversial U.S. trade measures on developing economies. Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan called for a swift and mutually beneficial resolution to global trade disputes, stressing the vulnerability of countries like Pakistan to sudden shifts in global commercial policy.
While Thursday’s relief rally had lifted market sentiment temporarily, market participants appear to be reassessing the sustainability of the pause in tariffs amid continued global uncertainty.
