The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) commenced the new business week on a negative trajectory, with its benchmark KSE-100 index experiencing a significant downturn during early trading on Monday. The index plunged by 563.80 points, dropping to 78,929.25 points, which reflects a decline of 0.38 percent from the previous session’s close of 79,493.05 points. This downward movement indicates a prevailing bearish sentiment among investors, which market analysts attribute to profit-taking activities following recent gains and potentially other macroeconomic factors.
This decline stands in contrast to the market’s performance in the previous session on Friday, where the benchmark index had managed to register modest gains. On that day, it had closed at 79,493.06 points after an increase of 257.80 points, a positive change of 0.17 percent. The sharp reversal at the week’s start highlights the ongoing volatility and cautious trading behavior characterizing the current market environment.
Trading activity also saw a noticeable contraction in volume and value compared to the previous session. The volume of shares traded decreased to 802,006,843, with a total value of Rs40.450 billion. This is a reduction from the 1,062,993,695 shares traded the previous Friday. The data suggests a more hesitant participation from investors at the beginning of the week.
Despite the overall bearish trend, market breadth revealed a mixed picture among individual companies. Out of the 479 companies that transacted shares, a slight majority of 251 recorded gains, while 199 sustained losses. The share price of 29 companies remained unchanged. This indicates that while the broader index faced selling pressure, there was still selective buying interest in specific scrips, preventing a more widespread market sell-off.
