A volatile trading session was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) with the benchmark KSE-100 Index swinging both ways, settling just above the 150,000 level on Tuesday.
Trading opened with strong buying, pushing the index to the intraday high of 151,503.46 early, indicating initial bullish sentiment.
However, after the early high, the index gradually declined, dropping to its intraday low of 148,509.04 around late morning.
The market then entered a recovery phase in the afternoon, moving back up gradually toward the 150,000 mark.
At close, the benchmark KSE-100 Index settled at 150,016.16, an increase of 837.50 points or 0.56%.
“Support came from stable oil prices and positive regional markets; however, volumes told the real story — activity stayed muted throughout the session, signalling that investors are still playing it safe and waiting for clearer direction before making aggressive bets,” said Topline Securities, in its post-market commentary.
Among index-heavy stocks, MCB, UBL, HUBC, PPL, and ENGROH emerged as key gainers, collectively adding 737 points to the index. On the flip side, HBL, NBP, DGKC, BOP, and FCCL weighed heavily on the market, cumulatively dragging 266 points from the benchmark, added the brokerage house.
Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of $427 million in February 2026, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday.
On Monday, the PSX witnessed a sharp sell-off as the benchmark KSE-100 Index plunged, as investors remained wary due to persistent volatility in international oil prices and broader uncertainty in global markets. The KSE-100 Index closed at 149,178.66 points, registering a steep decline of 4,687.51 points or 3.05%.
Globally, stocks climbed in early Asian trading on Tuesday, pressing for a second day of gains as investors confronted a crowded central bank calendar and an unrelenting Middle East conflict.
Markets are on edge, trying to price in the economic damage from US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran and the policy reaction it could trigger.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.9%, led by a 2.4% gain for South Korea’s Kospi, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.3%. S&P 500 e-mini futures slipped 0.3%.
On Wall Street on Monday, the S&P 500 rose 1.0% to snap a four-day losing streak on gains for AI stocks, though the index remains 3% below its level before the conflict began.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani rupee registered a marginal gain, appreciating 0.01% against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Tuesday. At close, the local currency settled at 279.27, a gain of Re0.03 against the greenback.
Volume on the all-share index declined to 260.43 million from 298.27 million recorded in the previous close.
The value of shares decreased to Rs17.21 billion from Rs20.19 billion in the previous session.
B.O.Punjab was the volume leader with 32.25 million shares, followed by K-Electric Ltd. with 18.08 million shares, and WorldCall Telecom 17.87 million shares.
Shares of 475 companies were traded on Tuesday, of which 223 registered an increase, 182 recorded a fall, and 70 remained unchanged.
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