The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp correction on Wednesday, as investors opted for profit-taking following consecutive sessions of record-setting gains. The benchmark KSE-100 Index dropped by 826.21 points or 0.62% to close at 132,576.98.
The index fluctuated within a range of 1,240 points during the session, hitting an intraday high of 133,566.37 before falling to a low of 132,326.17. Trading activity in the KSE-100 remained active, with 161.03 million shares changing hands.
Out of the 100 constituent companies, 27 closed in the green, 70 ended in the red, while 3 remained unchanged.
The day’s top laggards included Pak Services Limited (PSEL), down 5.04%, Habib Gulzar Foods (HGFA) which fell 3.07%, Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan (SCBPL) losing 2.62%, Nishat Mills Limited (NML) down 2.59%, and Pakistan State Oil (PSO), which slipped 2.20%.
On the other hand, standout gainers included Bannu Woollen Mills (BNWM) and Gadoon Textile Mills (GADT), both rising 10%, followed by YouWe Pharma (YOUW) up 4.32%, National Foods (NATF) climbing 3.32%, and Mehmood Textile (MEHT) with a 2.79% gain.
Major negative contributions to the KSE-100 Index came from Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), which pulled the index down by 120.22 points, Engro Holdings (-81.84 pts), Bank Al Habib (-74.42 pts), PSO (-61.19 pts), and Habib Bank Limited (-59.07 pts).
Offsetting some of the losses, NATF added 22.80 points to the index, followed by GADT (+13.71 pts), Meezan Bank (+13.06 pts), TPL REIT Fund I (+10.37 pts), and Mari Petroleum (+9.56 pts).
Sector-wise, the index was weighed down primarily by Commercial Banks (-198.84 pts), Fertilizers (-173.91 pts), Investment Banks and Securities Companies (-91.01 pts), Oil Marketing Companies (-69.31 pts), and Exploration & Production firms (-56.08 pts).
In the broader market, the All-Share Index lost 204.38 points to close at 82,983.67, a drop of 0.25%. Overall market participation declined, with total volume falling to 905.74 million shares from 1.2 billion in the previous session. The traded value was recorded at Rs30.53 billion, down by Rs11.5 billion.
Out of 477 companies traded, 199 closed positive, 254 declined, while 24 remained unchanged.
Wednesday’s pullback follows a historic high on Monday when the KSE-100 surpassed 133,000 for the first time, beginning FY26 with a strong 1.08% gain. Market participants attributed the correction to short-term profit realisation as investors digest earlier gains driven by improved macroeconomic sentiment and corporate earnings expectations.
