KARACHI:The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a steep downturn on Monday morning, with the benchmark KSE-100 index plunging 3,793 points, or 2.56 per cent, to 147,913.69 by 10:30am. The All-Share Index dropped 2,170 points (2.45pc) to 88,780.21, while the KSE-30 shed 1,293 points (2.90pc). The KMI-30 fell nearly 6,000 points (2.79pc), underscoring heavy selling across sectors. The banking index (BKTI) also lost 1,095 points (2.73pc).
Trading activity remained brisk, with 98 million shares changing hands in 86,534 transactions, generating Rs6.41 billion in value. Market breadth was overwhelmingly negative, with 311 symbols declining against only 93 advancing, while 163 remained unchanged out of a total of 567.
In the automobile assembler sector, losses were widespread. Indus Motor Company fell Rs.40.26 to Rs.1,760, while Ghandhara Industries dropped Rs.39.62 to Rs.602. Sazgar Engineering shed Rs.32.59 to Rs.1,619 on heavy volumes of over 126,000 shares. Ghandhara Automobile slipped Rs.22.79 to Rs.306, while Honda Atlas Cars eased Rs.3.24 to Rs..152.75. Atlas Honda Ltd also posted a sharp decline of Rs19.36 to Rs.1,450. Dewan Motors, despite active trading, edged down Rs.0.33 to Rs.14.6. Millat Tractors was the lone gainer, rising Rs.3.71 to Rs.498.4 on strong volumes of 126,000 shares.
Market analysts say the PSX’s sharp fall on Monday adds to the cumulative losses since the outbreak of the Iran war, with the benchmark index now down by more than 20,000 points. The steep decline reflects fragile investor confidence, heightened geopolitical uncertainty, and concerns over macroeconomic stability. The advance–decline ratio, heavily skewed towards losers, underscores broad-based selling pressure.
Sectoral performance highlights the depth of the downturn, with autos leading the decline. Heavy losses in blue-chip names such as Indus Motor, Ghandhara Industries, and Sazgar Engineering point to institutional selling. The few bright spots — Millat Tractors — suggest selective defensive buying, but overall sentiment remains bearish.
With volatility dominating recent sessions and the new week beginning on a steep downturn, analysts forsee that the market trend appears firmly bearish, with investors reluctant to commit to long positions until clearer signals emerge on both the geopolitical and economic fronts.
