KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange continued to reel under heavy selling pressure Monday, with benchmarks sinking further as geopolitical tensions in the Gulf rattled investor confidence.
The downturn, which began at the opening bell, intensified by mid-morning as volumes swelled and declines spread across sectors.
By 10:45am, the KSE-100 Index had shed more than two thousand points, slipping over one percent. Broader gauges including the All-Share, KSE-30, KMI-30, and Banking Index all mirrored the slide, underscoring the breadth of the sell-off.
Market breadth remained negative, with more than three hundred stocks declining against just over a hundred advancing. Trading activity was brisk, with over two hundred million shares changing hands in more than one hundred thousand transactions, reflecting both panic selling and opportunistic repositioning.
Analysts linked the sharp reversal to international developments, particularly renewed skirmishes in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which have disrupted global energy flows and heightened risk aversion. The crisis has amplified volatility across regional markets, spilling into local equities and eroding the optimism that had briefly returned last week when buying lifted sentiment.
Traders said the mood has shifted from cautious optimism to outright concern, with investors reluctant to take fresh positions until clarity emerges on both the geopolitical front and domestic economic measures. The combination of external shocks and internal challenges has left the market vulnerable to further turbulence, with sentiment hinging on whether diplomatic efforts can ease Gulf tensions and restore stability to energy supply routes.
