KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) came under pressure on Wednesday following two consecutive bullish sessions, as investors opted to lock in gains amid market volatility and cautious sentiment ahead of the upcoming monetary policy announcement.
According to Topline Securities Ltd, the KSE-100 index saw sharp intraday swings — climbing as much as 816 points before reversing course to fall 1,115 points at one stage. The benchmark eventually settled at 166,553.28 points, down 793.56 points or 0.47 per cent.
Selling pressure continued at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 shedding over 600 points as investors opted to secure profits following recent gains, during the opening minutes of trading on Thursday.
At 9:45am, the benchmark index was hovering at… pic.twitter.com/YIj4hpDlzI
— Business Recorder (@brecordernews) October 23, 2025
Heavyweight stocks such as Fauji Fertilizer, United Bank, MCB Bank, Habib Bank, and Fatima Fertilizer led the decline, collectively eroding 647 points from the index. Partial recovery came from Pakistan Petroleum, Oil & Gas Development Company, Pakistan Stock Exchange Ltd, Bank of Punjab, and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, which together added 306 points.
Market activity remained subdued, with overall trading volume declining by 13.76 per cent to 1.56 billion shares, while the traded value slipped 3.08 per cent to Rs55 billion. K-Electric dominated volumes, with 241 million shares changing hands.
Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said investors turned cautious after two strong recovery sessions. “Although the KSE-100 briefly surpassed the 168,000 level, profit-taking pressure pulled it back below 167,000,” he noted, adding that the market is likely to consolidate in the near term.
You May Also Like: Ali Zafar’s ‘Man-on-the-Street’ Interview Goes Viral for His Humility and Grace
On the macroeconomic front, profit and dividend repatriation surged 22.5 per cent year-on-year to $159 million in September but fell 54.4 per cent month-on-month. In the first quarter of FY26, repatriations reached $751.7 million, up 85.8 per cent year-on-year. Analysts expect the index to trade between 165,000–170,000 as investors await the Monetary Policy Committee meeting scheduled for Oct 27.
