The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a sharp downturn on Friday, mirroring a global market slump, as the KSE-100 Index plummeted by 1,335.88 points during the latter half of the trading session.
By market close, the benchmark index had settled at 114,853.33, marking a decline of 1.15%.
Significant selling pressure hit major sectors including automobile assemblers, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, power generation, and refineries. Several index-heavy stocks, such as MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SNGPL, HUBCO, MEBL, NBP, and MCB, closed in the red.
On the international front, global markets experienced turmoil on Friday, with stocks sharply declining and the dollar weakening further. A frenzied bond selloff marked the end of a tumultuous week, fueled by worldwide tariff disputes that have heightened fears of a severe recession and shaken investor confidence in U.S. assets.
This uncertainty has driven investors toward safe-haven assets, pushing the Swiss franc to its highest level against the dollar in a decade, and gold prices to record peaks. This comes after a brief relief rally sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to temporarily reduce tariffs on several countries.
