Karachi, July 21, 2025 – The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile session on Monday as the benchmark KSE-100 index declined by 380 points despite robust trading activity.
The index closed the day at 138,217 points, down from the previous session’s closing level of 138,597 points.
According to a report from Topline Securities Limited, the KSE-100 index recorded a loss of 0.27% as investors adopted a cautious stance in anticipation of the month-end futures contract expiry. The index remained range-bound throughout the session, oscillating between an intraday high of 139,201 and a low of 138,150, reflecting mixed investor sentiment.
Key pressure on the index came from heavyweight stocks including Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), United Bank Limited (UBL), Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC), Systems Limited (SYS), and Hub Power Company (HUBC). These stocks collectively pulled the index down by 438 points. However, some resilience was shown by Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Engro Fertilizers (EFERT), and Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans (PABC), which together contributed a gain of 152 points, offering partial support to the falling index.
Despite the dip in points, trading activity remained strong. The day saw a total volume of 604 million shares exchanged across the board, with an overall turnover amounting to Rs23 billion. This reflects sustained investor interest and market liquidity. Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company (PMI) led the trading charts with an impressive 58 million shares changing hands, underscoring the stock’s strong retail appeal.
Market participants attributed the day’s pullback to profit-taking and cautious positioning ahead of contract rollovers. Nonetheless, the robust trading volume indicated that investors are still actively participating, signaling confidence in market fundamentals despite short-term volatility.
Analysts remain optimistic about the medium-term outlook of the KSE-100 index, citing strong corporate earnings, a stable macroeconomic environment, and increasing foreign interest in the local equity market. However, they caution that volatility may persist in the short term due to speculative trading and technical corrections.