PSX: Selling pressure deepens as KSE-100 drops nearly 1,400 points
Intensifying Middle‑East tensions and oil prices above $100 a barrel drove a broad sell‑off on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, pulling the KSE‑100 index down 0.81% to 170,550.60.
Share
Desk Analysis
How This Affects the Exchange
Sector Effect
Negative · Do not buy
Broad sell‑off across automobile, cement, banks, fertiliser, oil & gas and OMCs – avoid buying these sectors for now.
Sectors & Direction
Desk read
Desk call: Do not buy · Negatively affected
- AutomobileNegatively affected
- CementNegatively affected
- BanksNegatively affected
- FertilizerNegatively affected
- Oil & GasNegatively affected
- TransportNegatively affected
Companies
Companies Mentioned
Mentions in This Briefing
Sectors: Automobile, Cement, Banks, Fertilizer, Oil & Gas, Transport — Negative · Do not buy. PSX tickers: PSO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, FFC, MCB, MEBL, NBP. Broad sell‑off across automobile, cement, banks, fertiliser, oil & gas and OMCs – avoid buying these sectors for now.
Full Story
Open on Business Recorder## Market Overview
The Pakistan Stock Exchange continued to face heavy selling on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE‑100 Index slipping 1,392.99 points (‑0.81%) to 170,550.60 at 12:50 pm. The decline was sparked by the latest large‑scale attacks on shipping by Iran and the United States, marking the most severe maritime assaults since the conflict began six months ago.
## Geopolitical and Commodity Drivers
Escalating hostilities in the Middle East have kept global crude oil prices above the $100 per barrel threshold, with Brent futures trading around $101.4. The heightened oil price environment, coupled with investor anxiety ahead of upcoming US inflation data, contributed to risk‑off sentiment across Asian equity markets, including Pakistan.
## Sectoral Impact
Selling was widespread across several key sectors: - Automobile assemblers - Cement - Commercial banks - Fertiliser - Oil & Gas exploration - Oil marketing companies (OMCs)
Index‑heavy stocks such as Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Mari Petroleum (MARI), Oil & Gas Development Company (OGDC), Pakistan Petroleum (PPL), Fauji Fertiliser (FFC), MCB Bank (MCB), Meezan Bank (MEBL) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) all closed in the red.
## Recent Context
The previous trading day saw the KSE‑100 fall 698.56 points (‑0.40%) to close at 171,943.60, driven by the same geopolitical strain and rising oil prices. Regionally, Asian equity indices slipped, with MSCI’s broadest Asia‑Pacific index outside Japan down 1%, while Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s KOSPI each fell more than 1%.
## Outlook
With the conflict in the Gulf showing no signs of abating and oil prices remaining elevated, market participants are likely to stay cautious. The continuation of selling pressure suggests a bearish short‑term outlook for the affected sectors.