KARACHI: Despite a bullish opening, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday faced intense selling pressure, snapping a five-session winning streak that had pushed the index near its all-time high.

The benchmark KSE-100 index ended the session lower, closing at 186,255.55 points, down 1,199.14 points or 0.64 per cent from the previous close, as investors took profits following the market’s strong recovery rally.

Topline Securities Ltd said the market opened higher and extended its early gains, reaching an intraday high of 188,127.15 points. However, selling pressure emerged across key sectors in the latter half of the session, dragging the index to an intraday low of 186,189.16 points before settling near that level at the close.

Investor sentiment remained cautious amid weakness in regional equity markets, prompting participants to lock in recent gains after the index’s strong run over the past several sessions. The broader market outlook remains supported by improving macroeconomic fundamentals and sustained institutional interest.

Bears snap five-session winning streak

On the index contribution front, heavyweight stocks Fauji Fertiliser, Pakistan Petroleum, United Bank, Oil and Gas Development Company, and Lucky Cement were the main drags on the benchmark, collectively wiping out 649 points.

Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said PSX witnessed a consolidation session, with investor sentiment remaining mixed; participants opted to book profits after the benchmark index hovered near its all-time high, dragging the market into negative territory by the close.

Nevertheless, expectations of strong corporate earnings in the upcoming result season continued to provide underlying support to market confidence.

On the macroeconomic front, the government unveiled InvestPak, a digital investment platform aimed at diversifying its funding base by reducing reliance on commercial banks and broadening access to government securities for non-bank and retail investors.

Market activity remained healthy, with trading volume rising 10.85pc to 984.8 million shares. However, the turnover dipped 8.55pc to Rs45.6 billion.

Analysts believe the market may undergo a consolidation phase in the next few sessions before reaching a new all-time high.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026