The benchmark KMI-30 Index at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp decline on Thursday, falling by more than 5,900 points as strong selling pressure was observed across several key stocks.
According to the latest market wrap issued for March 6, 2026, the KMI-30 Index opened the trading session at 230,851.30 points. The index also touched its highest level of the day at the same level during early trading, but later heavy selling dragged the market significantly lower.
During the session, the index fell to a low of 223,671.87 points before eventually closing at 224,687.33 points.
Overall, the index recorded a massive decline of 5,909.78 points, representing a negative change of about 2.56 percent.
Market analysts said the sharp drop reflects profit-taking and cautious investor sentiment as traders preferred to reduce their positions ahead of upcoming economic developments.
Despite the decline, trading activity remained relatively active in the market. According to data, the index constituent volume reached approximately 101.59 million shares during the session.
The financial year-to-date (FYTD) performance of the KMI-30 Index still remains positive at 21.53 percent, showing that the market has delivered strong returns during the current fiscal year despite recent volatility.
However, on a calendar year-to-date (CYTD) basis, the index has declined by about 9.60 percent, indicating that investors have faced some challenges during the early months of 2026.
Market performance was largely influenced by a few heavyweight stocks that dragged the index downward.
Among the biggest negative contributors were Engro Holdings, Lucky Cement, Hub Power Company, Meezan Bank Limited, and Systems Limited.
Engro Holdings alone contributed a decline of 1,067.60 points to the index. Lucky Cement followed with a negative contribution of 684.81 points, while Hub Power Company reduced the index by about 587.79 points.
Meezan Bank Limited and Systems Limited also played a major role in pulling the index lower with declines of 562.35 and 552.47 points respectively.
On the positive side, a few stocks helped limit the overall losses in the market.
The top performers included Attock Refinery Limited (ATRL), Millat Tractors Limited (MTL), and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).
Attock Refinery contributed around 92.63 positive points to the index, making it the biggest supporter of the market during the session. Millat Tractors added 36.32 points, while Sui Southern Gas Company contributed 13.39 points.
Market experts believe that fluctuations in the stock market are a normal part of trading and investors should focus on long-term fundamentals instead of short-term volatility.
They also noted that global economic conditions, commodity prices, and domestic financial policies often influence investor sentiment in the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
Investors are expected to closely monitor upcoming economic announcements, corporate earnings updates, and interest rate expectations, which may determine the direction of the market in the coming sessions.
Despite Thursday’s significant decline, analysts remain cautiously optimistic about the long-term outlook of Pakistan’s equity market, particularly in sectors related to energy, banking, and industrial production.
