KSE-100 slips 248 points as late selling wipes out early gains

A volatile session was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, with the benchmark KSE-100 index losing 248.01 points, or 0.15%, as late-session selling pressure erased earlier gains.

The market opened positively and climbed to an intra-day high of 163,602.16 by mid-day. However, momentum weakened through the afternoon, and consistent selling dragged the index down to 161,481.69. In major news, Pakistan’s Current Account Balance recorded a deficit of $112 million in October 2025 compared to a surplus of $83 million in September 2025.

Sentiment was largely affected due to law-and-order concerns and political uproar following a report published  in The Economist alleging involvement of the incarcerated premier’s wife in decision-making during his tenure. At close, the benchmark KSE-100 index ended in red, closing at 161,687. Market performance was largely driven by activity in the fertiliser, cement, banking and power sectors.

KTrade Securities wrote in its market wrap that in a mixed performance on Monday, the benchmark KSE-100 index fell by 248 points, (-0.15%) day-on-day, closing at 161,687, despite touching an intra-day high of 163,602. The session was largely characterised by profit-taking, which capped early gains. 

On the performance front, Fauji Fertiliser, Pioneer Cement, K-Electric, Kohinoor Textile, Pakistan Petroleum, and Sui Northern Gas provided upward support to the index, while Lucky Cement, United Bank, Mari Energies, Hub Power, and Maple Leafe Cement were the major laggards, dragging the benchmark lower. 

With healthy market participation, the sentiment is expected to remain closely tied to developments on the law-and-order front, the political environment, and key macroeconomic indicators. Investors will be particularly focused on progress towards the upcoming IMF tranche and shifts in the regional geopolitical landscape—factors that could shape the market’s near-term direction, KTrade predicted.

Overall trading volume rose to 1.2billion shares from previous session’s close of 673.4million. The values of traded shares stood at Rs41.3billion. K-Electric was the volume leader with trading in 296.3million shares, rising Rs0.76 to close at Rs5.80.