PSX Closing Bell: Red Avalanche

The index traded in a wide range of 4,349.71 points during the session, touching an intraday high of 182,185.87 (+787.66 points) before reversing course and falling to a low of 177,836.16 (-3,562.05 points).

Total volume traded in KSE-100 stocks stood at 458.03 million shares.

Investor sentiment weakened after planned US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland reportedly collapsed, reviving concerns over the durability of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending tensions in the Middle East.

The development injected fresh uncertainty into global markets and contributed to a rebound in international oil prices, as investors reassessed the risk of prolonged geopolitical instability and potential disruptions to regional energy supplies.

The uncertainty triggered broad-based selling across key sectors, particularly commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, fertilizer, cement, and technology stocks, which had led the market's recent rally.

Of the 100 index companies, 85 closed lower while only 15 managed to post gains.

Among the top losers were HCAR (-4.56%), TRG (-4.52%), SRVI (-4.33%), KEL (-3.44%), and FATIMA (-3.34%). On the other hand, SSOM (+10.00%), PSX (+3.78%), SNGP (+2.54%), SSGC (+2.25%), and SHFA (+1.16%) emerged as the day's top gainers.

In terms of index-point contribution, UBL wiped out 209.63 points from the benchmark, followed by FFC (-198.40 points), ENGROH (-187.76 points), PPL (-166.19 points), and OGDC (-133.15 points).

Meanwhile, PSX contributed 31.52 points to the index, while SNGP (+25.56 points), SSGC (+8.10 points), PKGS (+6.24 points), and SHFA (+6.04 points) provided some support.

Sector-wise, the benchmark was dragged lower by Commercial Banks (-614.42 points), Oil & Gas Exploration Companies (-377.64 points), Fertilizer (-309.32 points), Cement (-290.12 points), and Technology & Communication (-205.37 points).

On the positive side, Miscellaneous (+8.37 points), Paper, Board & Packaging (+6.24 points), Vanaspati & Allied Industries (+2.32 points), Sugar & Allied Industries (+0.48 points), and Synthetic & Rayon (+0.40 points) sectors offered limited support.

In the broader market, the All-Share Index settled at 107,850.26, down 1,356.82 points or 1.24%.

Total market volume stood at 1.05 billion shares compared to 1.24 billion shares in the previous session, while traded value declined to Rs54.14 billion. A total of 566,989 trades were recorded in 497 companies, with 141 closing higher, 329 lower, and 27 remaining unchanged.