Karachi, January 26, 2026 – The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a dramatic session on Monday as the benchmark KSE-100 index experienced a notable turnaround, ending lower despite touching an intraday high of over 191,000 points.
Investors observed volatile trading as optimism early in the session gave way to profit-taking in the closing hours.
The KSE-100 index closed at 188,588 points, down 579 points (-0.31%) from last Friday’s close of 189,167 points. The market recorded an intraday high of 191,032 points and a low of 188,268 points, reflecting wide price swings during the day. The trading volume reached 449.8 million shares, with a total market value of PKR 43.56 billion.
Early market optimism was driven by expectations that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) might announce a cut in interest rates during its monetary policy review on Monday. Analysts noted that investors were initially buoyed by hopes of easing borrowing costs, which typically supports equity markets. However, the market sentiment shifted as late-hour profit-taking dominated trading, pushing the index into negative territory by the session’s close.
Sector-wise, investors were particularly active in banking and oil & gas stocks, which contributed significantly to the intraday rally. Market experts caution that such short-term fluctuations are common around SBP monetary policy announcements, advising investors to watch for policy signals closely.
Monday’s session highlights the volatile nature of the KSE-100 index, with rapid shifts influenced by both monetary expectations and investor behavior.