PSX Closing Bell: The Tide Turns Red

March 19, 2026 (MLN): The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended Thursday’s session in the red as renewed selling pressure gripped the market, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index retreating amid rising global energy prices and escalating geopolitical risks.

Investor sentiment weakened as global oil and gas prices surged, driven by fresh attacks on critical energy infrastructure in the Middle East, pushing crude prices sharply higher to around $116 per barrel. The spike in energy prices promp cautious trading and broad-based selling across key sectors.

The KSE-100 Index closed at 152,740.37, registering a decline of 1,551.88 points or 1.01%.

The index traded within a range of 2,594.79 points, touching an intraday high of 153,322.96 (-969.29) and a low of 150,728.17 (-3,564.08). The total volume of the KSE-100 Index stood at 147.44 million shares.

Market breadth remained weak, with 18 companies closing higher, 79 declining, two unchanged, and one untraded.

Among the top losers were AICL (-7.91%), PSX (-5.31%), UNITY (-4.43%), JDWS (-3.91%), and TPLRF1 (-3.73%), while PKGP (+9.86%), BNWM (+9.00%), FHAM (+2.57%), KTML (+2.43%), and YOUW (+1.21%) led the gainers.

In terms of index-point contributions, ENGROH (-176.99pts), UBL (-161.63pts), PPL (-127.83pts), MEBL (-92.47pts), and EFERT (-81.40pts) weighed heavily on the index. On the other hand, HBL (+19.42pts), FATIMA (+12.05pts), KTML (+10.77pts), FFC (+10.30pts), and BAFL (+6.85pts) provided limited support.

Sector-wise, the decline was led by Commercial Banks (-431.79pts), Oil & Gas Exploration Companies (-226.64pts), Investment Banks / Investment Companies / Securities Companies (-208.32pts), Cement (-105.69pts), and Power Generation & Distribution (-72.25pts).

Meanwhile, modest support came from Tobacco (+4.53pts), Modarabas (+2.44pts), Close-End Mutual Fund (+1.55pts), Woollen (+0.77pts), and Textile Weaving (+0.14pts).

In the broader market, the All-Share Index settled at 91,858.47, down 800.10 points or 0.86%.

Total market volume stood at 326.64 million shares, compared to 397.47 million in the previous session, while traded value declined to Rs19.40 billion, down Rs2.95 billion. A total of 236,250 trades were recorded across 473 companies, with 153 closing higher, 260 declining, and 60 remaining unchanged.

To note, the KSE-100 has gained 27,113 points or 21.58% during the fiscal year, whereas it has decreased 21,314 points or 12.25% so far this calendar year.

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