The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a decline on Friday, with its benchmark KSE-100 Index falling 1,494.09 points, or 0.85%, to 173,885.77 by the midday trading break for Friday prayers.
The index opened in negative territory and experienced considerable fluctuations throughout the morning session. It reached an intraday high of 174,329.76 points before dropping to a low of 172,809.89.
At the time trading was suspended, the benchmark remained significantly below Thursday’s closing level of 175,379.86 points.
Market activity saw 112.19 million shares change hands during the session, with the total traded value reaching Rs7.38 billion.
Analysts and market participants linked the decline to profit-taking following the exchange’s recent upward momentum, alongside continued investor caution over domestic economic conditions and geopolitical developments.
Selling pressure was particularly evident in selected major stocks across the banking, cement and energy sectors, although overall trading activity remained moderate ahead of the scheduled break.
The decline came after the PSX had recently extended its rally and regained the psychologically significant 175,000-point level.
Trading was expected to resume following Friday prayers and continue until the market’s regular closing time.
The midday figures reflected the market’s position at the trading break rather than its final closing performance.