PSX: Selling pressure persists as KSE-100 drops over 400 points
The KSE-100 index fell more than 400 points amid heightened Middle‑East tensions and rising oil prices, with broad sell‑off across banks, oil & gas, cement, auto and fertilizer stocks.
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Desk Analysis
How This Affects the Exchange
Sector Effect
Negative · Do not buy
Broad sell‑off in banks, oil & gas, cement, auto and fertilizer sectors; avoid buying these stocks for now.
Sectors & Direction
Desk read
Desk call: Do not buy · Negatively affected
- BanksNegatively affected
- Oil & GasNegatively affected
- CementNegatively affected
- AutomobileNegatively affected
- FertilizerNegatively affected
Companies
Companies Mentioned
Mentions in This Briefing
Sectors: Banks, Oil & Gas, Cement, Automobile, Fertilizer — Negative · Do not buy. PSX tickers: PSO, MARI, OGDC, PPL, FFC, MCB, MEBL, NBP. Broad sell‑off in banks, oil & gas, cement, auto and fertilizer sectors; avoid buying these stocks for now.
Full Story
Open on Business Recorder## Market Overview
The Pakistan Stock Exchange continued to face strong selling pressure on Thursday. The benchmark KSE‑100 Index opened lower and quickly slipped to 171,510.66 points at 9:40 am, down 432.93 points (‑0.25%). The decline was driven by escalating conflict between Iran and the United States, which saw the largest attacks on shipping since the war began, and by global crude oil prices staying above the $100 per barrel mark.
## Sectoral Impact
Key sectors that experienced selling included: - Automobile assemblers - Cement - Commercial banks - Fertiliser - Oil & Gas exploration companies - Oil marketing companies (OMCs)
Heavy‑weight index constituents such as Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Mari Petroleum (MARI), Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC), Pakistan Petroleum (PPL), Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), MCB Bank (MCB), Meezan Bank (MEBL) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) all traded in the red.
## Recent Context
The previous session saw the KSE‑100 close 698.56 points lower at 171,943.60, also reflecting geopolitical strain and rising crude prices. Across Asia, equity markets were subdued as oil prices stayed above $100 a barrel, prompting caution ahead of U.S. inflation data that could shape monetary policy.
## Global Factors
Brent crude futures edged up to $101.4 per barrel in early trading, maintaining pressure on energy‑related stocks. The 10‑year U.S. Treasury yield held at 4.8406% after a brief rise, while MSCI’s broad Asia‑Pacific index outside Japan fell 1%, with Japan’s Nikkei and South Korea’s KOSPI each slipping more than 1%.
## Outlook
The combination of heightened geopolitical risk and elevated oil prices is likely to keep risk‑averse sentiment high, sustaining the sell‑off in the affected sectors until clearer direction emerges from the Middle‑East or from global monetary‑policy cues.