KARACHI: Following an optimistic opening, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) faced renewed selling pressure on Monday as uncertainty over ongoing peace talks rattled equity investors. Profit‑taking pushed the benchmark KSE‑100 index lower for a second consecutive session.
Topline Securities Ltd reported that the index settled at 178,471 points, down 450 points (0.25%), after profit‑taking followed an earlier intraday rally and the solid gains of prior sessions.
The benchmark climbed to an intraday high of 180,507 points before slipping to a low of 178,337 points, as selling pressure gathered momentum in the second half of trading.
Heavyweight stocks such as Fauji Fertiliser Company, Bank Al‑Habib, Habib Bank, Lucky Cement and MCB Bank together subtracted 326 points from the index.
Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd (AHL), noted that the PSX traded in a narrow range, with mixed sentiment and no clear directional bias among participants, leading to a broadly flat closing.
On the geopolitical front, improving U.S.–Iran relations, advances toward keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, and the impending visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Pakistan have bolstered hopes for regional stability. In addition, the ongoing slide in international oil prices is lending further support to Pakistan’s macroeconomic outlook.
Investor participation waned sharply, with traded volume falling 23.1% to 807.4 million shares and total turnover dropping 33.17% to Rs36 billion. WorldCall Telecom Ltd topped the volume list with 59.5 million shares traded.
Analysts anticipate that sentiment will stay headline‑driven, with oil price swings, geopolitical developments, and inflows into blue‑chip stocks shaping the short‑term outlook.
Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2026
