PSX marks impressive 3,200-point recovery a day after record drop in shares

Published December 20, 2024
Activity at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Dec 20, 2024.— PSX data portal
Activity at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Dec 20, 2024.— PSX data portal

Bulls managed to regain hold of the trade floor after three days as shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) surged by over 3,200 points on Friday.

The surge comes a day after the benchmark KSE-100 index suffered the largest single-day point-wise loss of 3,790 points on unabated across-the-board selling pressure.

The KSE-100 index climbed by 3,238.17, or 3.05 per cent, to close at 109,513.14 points from the previous close of 106,274.97 at the end of today’s session.

The index lost over 5,000 points or 4.4pc in the previous two sessions post-rate cut, which could be classified as nervous selling if it was called panic-offloading despite positive economic indicators.

Tahir Abbas of Arif Habib Ltd (AHL) told Dawn yesterday that the correction was healthy since the market had consistently set records in recent weeks.

Bears had maintained control of the stock market for three days following the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)’s announcement of a 200bps rate cut, coupled with guidance indicating a likely modest uptick in inflation in the coming months.

On Monday, SBP had reiterated that core inflation, which stood at 9.7pc, was “proving to be sticky, whereas inflation expectations of consumers and businesses remain volatile”, decidin on a cautious key interest rate cut of 200bps amid demands of a major rate cut.

Yesterday’s bearish momentum was attributed to a National Assembly bill aimed at targeting non-filers and restricting their ability to invest in mutual funds or maintain bank accounts, creating concern among investors.

However, analysts had assured that such broad-based compliance would ultimately benefit the equity market in the long run and is unlikely to have a significant impact on investment flows in the medium term.

Moreover, analysts had also attributed the decline to “stock-specific selling due to overvaluation concerns”.

Follow Dawn Business on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Truce tested
Updated 28 Jun, 2026

Truce tested

The latest US-Iran exchange should therefore be treated not as proof that dialogue has failed, but as a warning of how easily it could.
Paper promises
28 Jun, 2026

Paper promises

WHAT is a UNSC resolution worth if it is never implemented? Pakistan and China felt compelled to convene an informal...
Still the masters
28 Jun, 2026

Still the masters

CRISTIANO Ronaldo and Lionel Messi do not seem to be going away quietly. At least, not yet. The duo might have left...
After the budget
Updated 26 Jun, 2026

After the budget

Though not a bad document per se, the budget for FY27 is a familiar one, and familiarity in our economic history is rarely cause for comfort.
Missing the mark
Updated 27 Jun, 2026

Missing the mark

Pakistan cannot rely on international partners to compensate for weak governance and inconsistent implementation at home.
Up in smoke
26 Jun, 2026

Up in smoke

PAKISTAN is watching an epidemic unfold as the menace of narcotic abuse hits every fourth household in Karachi ...