Heavy selling pressure hit the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Monday, pushing the benchmark KSE-100 Index down by more than 2,000 points during the trading session.
The market opened on a weak note, with the index slipping sharply in early trade due to immediate selling pressure. Although it recovered later in the morning to an intra-day high of 184,439.06, renewed selling erased gains as the index trended lower.
By the close, the KSE-100 Index settled at 182,384.14, down 2,025.53 points, or 1.10 percent. Topline Securities said the pullback appeared to be a healthy consolidation following a sharp recent rise, rather than a change in underlying market sentiment.
The brokerage added that SYS, UBL, MEBL, ENGROH and FFC collectively contributed 782 points to the index’s decline. Despite Monday’s fall, the market had posted strong gains last week, advancing 5,375 points, or three percent, to close at 184,410, extending its early 2026 rally.
Read More: Rupee Edges Up Against Dollar In Inter-Bank Trade
International markets were unsettled after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Trump administration had threatened him with a criminal indictment. US equity futures fell, the dollar weakened against major currencies, and investors expressed concerns about the central bank’s independence.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani rupee posted a marginal gain against the US dollar, closing at 280.01 in the inter-bank market, up Re0.01. Trading activity increased, with all-share volume rising to 1,058.8 million shares, though total value declined to Rs48.24 billion.
Fauji Foods led volumes with 65.62 million shares, followed by WorldCall Telecom and Hascol Petrol. Overall, shares of 481 companies were traded, with 161 advancing, 284 declining and 36 remaining unchanged.
