KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed extreme volatility on Wednesday. It opened in positive territory, extending the previous session’s bullish momentum, but mid-session profit-taking pushed the benchmark KSE-100 index into the red.
The index recovered on value-hunting toward the close, ending with a marginal gain as regional and political uncertainty weighed on investor sentiment.
Topline Securities Ltd said the index remained range-bound, gaining as much as 812 points to an intraday high of 169,271.99 before giving up part of its gains and closing at 168,580.41, up 120.30 points, or 0.07 per cent. The index also hit an intraday low of 394 points at 168,065.87.
Trading remained cautious as international oil prices edged higher on a day-on-day basis, keeping investors watchful and limiting broader market momentum. Brent crude edged above $100 per barrel.
United Bank, Systems Ltd, Pakistan State Oil, Pakistan Telecommunications Company and K-Electric were the major gainers, collectively adding 300 points to the index. Conversely, Mari Energies, Meezan Bank, Lucky Cement, Hub Power, and Oil and Gas Development Company were the major laggards, collectively eroding 187 points.
Ali Najib, Deputy Head of Trading at Arif Habib Ltd, said the PSX recorded a consolidation session. The market initially carried forward overnight positive momentum, but profit-taking emerged at higher levels, particularly around the 169,000 mark, eroding most of the earlier gains and leaving the session largely flat. The session reflected a cautious approach by investors following the recent recovery.
However, investor participation improved as trading volume surged 35.84 per cent to 586.9 million shares and traded value rose 11.05pc to Rs22.3bn. K-Electric led the volume chart with 82m shares.
Analysts expect the index to sustain its recovery if oil prices remain subdued and Middle East risks ease, though geopolitical uncertainty may keep volatility elevated. The 170,000 level remains a key psychological threshold, with attention focused on oil prices and institutional flows.
Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2026
