After sharp volatility on Monday, selling pressure prevailed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, as a result of which the KSE-100 index fell by over 1,525 points, while the Islamic index KMI-30 also closed with a significant loss.
According to analysts, the main reason for the market downturn was profit-taking activities by big investors in the banking, fertiliser and energy sectors.
The KSE-100 index closed at 168,953.71 points, which shows a decrease of 0.89 percent compared to the previous day. Although the index reached a level of 169,360 points at the beginning of the session, selling pressure later changed the direction of the market.
The data shows that UBL had the most negative impact on the index and lost 147.38 points alone. After this, ENGRO, FFC, HBL and PPL also played a significant negative role.
On the other hand, PSEL, JVDC and PSX tried to support the market, but their positive impact could not prove sufficient to stop the overall decline.
Similarly, the KMI-30 index closed at 241,458.68 points and recorded a decline of 2,459.18 points or 1.01 percent.
The biggest pressure on the KMI-30 came from ENGRO (-310.81 points), while PPL, HUBC, LUCK and FFC also caused significant losses. Only AIRLINK and CPHL managed to stay in the positive zone.
Market experts say that the stock market has seen a significant rally in recent weeks, after which the process of profit-taking by investors is considered natural. According to them, the current corrective phase is not a sign of a change in the overall direction of the market but may be part of a short-term adjustment.
Interestingly, despite the daily decline, the year-to-date (FYTD) performance of KSE-100 was positive at 34.49%, while that of KMI-30 was positive at 30.60%, which is evidence that the Pakistani equity market has delivered strong returns overall during 2026.
According to analysts, in the next few sessions, investors will focus on budget measures, interest rate direction, inflation figures and corporate financial results, which could determine the next trend of the market.
