PSX Falls Over 1,200 Points Over Fears of Regional Geopolitical Tensions

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark 100-Index closed on a bearish note on Wednesday, dropping by 1,204 points or 1.02 percent, to settle at 117,226 points. A total of 605,175,574 shares were traded during the day as compared to 740,872,571 shares the previous trading day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs. 27.762 billion against Rs. 30.516 billion on the last trading day. As many as 457 companies transacted their shares in the stock market, 127 of them recorded gains and 276 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 54 companies remained unchanged. Brokerage house Topline Securities highlighted in a note that after four consecutive sessions of bullish momentum, bears made a forceful comeback on the local bourse. Topline attributed this reversal in sentiment to escalating regional geopolitical tensions, which prompted investors to adopt a cautious stance and lock in recent gains. The downward trajectory of the index was significantly influenced by negative contributions from key stocks, including UBL, HUBC, HMB, MARI, and ENGROH, which collectively dragged the index down by 526 points, it added. A day earlier, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered Pakistan’s GDP growth forecast for fiscal year 2025 to 2.6 percent, down from its earlier estimate of 3 percent made in January 2025.