KARACHI: The benchmark KSE-100 Index ended Wednesday's session on a bearish note, closing at 170,191 points down 831 points (−0.49%) from the previous close of 171,021.
The index traded in a wide intraday range, touching a high of 171,624 before sliding to a low of 169,790, reflecting persistent selling pressure throughout the session.
The decline was largely driven by profit-taking and cautious investor sentiment amid a lack of fresh positive triggers. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, particularly the absence of a conclusive US-Iran peace agreement and its impact on global oil prices, further dampened market confidence.
On the index contribution front, heavyweight scrips bore the brunt of the selling, with LUCK, UBL, MEBL, ENGROH, and HUBC collectively dragging the benchmark lower by approximately 343 points.
Market participation remained moderate, with total traded volume of 552 million shares and total traded value of PKR 23.8 billion.
More read, Stocks tumble amid oil price surge and inflation concerns
Earlier, Bears firmly dominated today’s trading session as investor sentiment turned sharply negative, dragging the benchmark index deep into red territory.
The market remained under persistent selling pressure throughout the day, with the benchmark index touching an intraday low of 3,565 points before eventually closing at 170,600 level, down 3,362 points or 1.93%.
The negative momentum was primarily driven by a surge in international oil prices amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalated. Elevated oil prices revived concerns over inflation and external account pressures, dampening investor confidence and triggering broad-based selling across key sectors.
Adding to the cautious mood, Pakistan’s CPI for May 2026 clocked in at 11.66%, compared to 10.89% in the previous month, signaling a pickup in inflationary pressures and further weighing on investor sentiment.
The bearish momentum was largely fueled by heavyweight stocks, including ENGROH, FFC, LUCK, HUBC, and OGDC, which collectively shaved 1,464 points off the benchmark index, playing a key role in sustaining the market’s downward trajectory.
Market participation remained healthy, with total traded volume reaching 590 million shares, while overall turnover settled at PKR 31.98 billion. DCL emerged as the volume leader, with 43 million shares traded during the session.
