KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange remained mired in deep losses by mid‑day Tuesday, with the KSE‑100 Index plunging more than 4,000 points, a fall exceeding two percent, as selling pressure intensified across the board.
The market, which had opened weak, saw losses deepen through the session, leaving benchmarks entrenched in negative territory.
Broader indices including the All‑Share, KSE‑30, KMI‑30, and Banking Index all mirrored the slide, underscoring the breadth of the rout. Market breadth was overwhelmingly negative, with more than four hundred stocks declining against barely fifty advancing, while trading activity surged past 590 million shares in nearly 400,000 transactions — reflecting both panic selling and heavy repositioning.
Analysts linked the slump to a combination of domestic caution and international shocks. Renewed skirmishes in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted global energy flows, amplifying investor anxiety. The external turbulence has compounded local economic concerns, eroding the optimism that briefly returned last week when buying lifted sentiment.
Traders said the mood on the trading floor was one of hopelessness, with investors reluctant to take fresh positions amid uncertainty over how long the Gulf crisis will persist and whether diplomatic efforts can restore stability. With inflationary pressures at home and geopolitical volatility abroad, the market remains vulnerable to further shocks, leaving sentiment fragile and benchmarks exposed to deeper losses.
