ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile trading session on Tuesday, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossed the psychological barrier of 137,000 during intraday trading before closing with a decline of over 550 points.
Market opened on a bullish momentum, with the benchmark index hitting a record intra-day high of 137,747.60.
However, profit-taking was observed in the final session of the trading session, wiping out all the gains, pushing the index to a low of 135,826.40.
At close, the KSE-100 Index settled at 135,939.87, showing a decline of 562.66 points or 0.41%.
On Tuesday, a total of 879,118,158 shares were traded, compared to 841,456,115 shares on the previous trading day. The price of shares stood at PKR 38.608 billion, against PKR 37.051 billion on the previous working day.
As many as 478 companies transacted their shares in the stock market, 110 of them recorded gains and 345 met losses, while the share price of 23 companies remained unchanged.
PSX hits record high on Monday
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) kicked off the week with a strong rally on Monday, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index surged by 2,203 points, or 1.64%, to close at a historic high of 136,502.54.
The sharp rise was driven by robust institutional participation and growing investor confidence.
Global markets remain steady
In international markets, Asian stocks advanced while the US dollar held steady on Tuesday, with global investors focused on ongoing trade negotiations and upcoming economic indicators, including key US inflation data and corporate earnings.
Oil prices dipped slightly following a warning from US President Donald Trump, who set a 50-day deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine or face energy-related sanctions.
Meanwhile, Japanese government bond yields climbed to multi-decade highs ahead of a crucial upper house election.
President Trump also indicated a willingness to engage in further tariff discussions after threatening over the weekend to impose 30% duties on the European Union and Mexico starting August 1.
Japan is reportedly seeking to arrange high-level talks with US officials by the end of the week.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding trade, market reactions have remained relatively subdued.
Rodrigo Catril, strategist at National Australia Bank, noted that this has shifted investor focus toward US earnings this week as a key source of market direction.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.4%, following modest gains in US markets. Japan’s Nikkei Index added 0.2%.
Meanwhile, the European Union accused the US of stalling efforts to reach a trade agreement and warned of possible retaliatory measures.
President Trump, however, reiterated his openness to continued dialogue with the EU and other trading partners.
