Karachi, April 7, 2025 — The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a devastating start to the trading week as global market turmoil spilled over into local equities, triggering a steep decline of 4,257 points in the benchmark KSE-100 Index. The index plummeted by 3.58%, marking one of the sharpest single-day losses in recent months.
By 11:45 AM, the KSE-100 Index was seen trading at 114,535 points, significantly down from Friday’s closing of 118,792 points. The dramatic drop wiped out all gains made last week, sending a wave of panic across the PSX trading floor.
Market watchers described the situation as a full-scale “bloodbath” at the PSX, with intense across-the-board selling pressure. Key sectors, including cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration, refineries, OMCs, and power generation, were all deep in the red. Blue-chip stocks such as HUBCO, ARL, MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SNGPL, SSGC, and HBL faced sharp declines, dragging the index down further.
“The Pakistani market is down 3,000 points following the global market crash,” remarked Mohammed Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities, in a market note. The massive selloff comes just days after the PSX had posted modest weekly gains, boosted by improved investor sentiment over economic developments. Last week, the PSX gained 984 points, or 0.84%, to close at 118,791.
However, global factors quickly reversed this trend. Asian markets also plunged on Monday amid intensifying fears over a new trade war. Tensions escalated after the White House reaffirmed its commitment to sweeping tariffs, and President Donald Trump doubled down on his stance, saying no deal would be made with China until the U.S. trade deficit was addressed.
Investors worldwide are now pricing in aggressive interest rate cuts in the U.S., as recession fears loom. The global selloff has reverberated across all markets, and the PSX has not been spared.
With investor confidence shaken, the coming days will be crucial for the PSX. Analysts expect volatility to persist unless there is a clear resolution to the ongoing global trade tensions.