Trading at the Pakistan Stock Exchange was suspended shortly after the start of the session on Monday after the benchmark KSE-100 Index declined more than nine percent following selling pressure at the open. 

 

The index dropped 15,345 points, or 9.13 percent, to 152,717 within minutes of trading beginning at 9:16 a.m. This decline triggered an automatic halt under exchange rules that come into effect when losses cross the defined threshold during intraday trading. 

 

At 9:22 a.m., just before the suspension took full effect, the benchmark was recorded at 152,991.15, down 15,071.01 points or 8.97 percent, indicating continued pressure.

 

The market movement came amid geopolitical developments in the Middle East linked to the conflict involving Iran, which affected global financial markets and investor positioning. This volatility was compounded by foreign capital outflows, earnings concerns, and risk-averse behavior, all of which added pressure on local equities during the opening minutes of trade. 

 

Consequently, broader market indicators also recorded significant losses; the KSE-30 Index declined 9.69 percent, the PSX Dividend 20 Index fell 9.10 percent, and the KSE All Share Index dropped 8.49 percent.

 

Index movement was largely influenced by heavyweight stocks including Fauji Fertilizer Company, United Bank Ltd, Engro Holdings, Oil & Gas Development Company, and Meezan Bank, which together accounted for a large portion of the index-point decline. 

 

By sector, the most substantial contributions to the overall fall came from Commercial Banks, Fertilizer, Oil and Gas Exploration Companies, Cement, and Investment Banks and Securities Companies. 

 

While some gains were recorded in sectors such as Leasing Companies, Close-End Mutual Funds, Synthetic and Rayon, Leather and Tanneries, and Textile Spinning.

 

In individual stocks, YOUW registered a sharp decline of 17.66 percent while CNERGY fell 10.14 percent and UNITY declined 10.03 percent. Both DHPL and SSGC also dropped by more than 10 percent. Reflecting the market-wide selling, PSEL declined 0.82 percent and SHFA edged down 0.03 percent. Limited upward movement was observed in only a small number of stocks, with PGLC up 0.15 percent, while TPLRF1 and MEHT remained unchanged.